Safe on Social

“You can improve yourself. You can be more”. “There are techniques, routines, tools that will sharpen the version of you the world currently cannot see”. And he watches. Of course, he watches. Because that is precisely what the algorithm was designed to ensure. What follows is not a single moment of radicalisation. There is no clear before-and-after. What follows is something far more insidious and far more difficult to reverse. What follows is the slow, algorithmic reframing

CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses a game that references child sexual exploitation and may be distressing to survivors of abuse. It contains frank discussion of how real-world criminal cases are being turned into entertainment for adolescents. A game is circulating among young people called Five Nights at Epstein's. It's being shared in group chats, traded between friends, and accessed on platforms where user-generated content slips past filters. This is not a rumour.

A fourteen-year-old takes a screenshot of a classmate's Instagram photo, runs it through a free AI app, and generates a fake sexual image. They share it in a group chat. A few mates laugh. Someone screenshots it. Someone forwards it. By lunchtime, it has reached people the original sender has never met. The fourteen-year-old thinks it's a joke. Under new amendments to the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW), effective 16 February 2026, it is a criminal offence. And the penalties are not sm

On February 19, 2026, Roblox announced its inaugural Global Parent Council. Eighty parents from thirty-two countries, hand-selected, meeting quarterly to "share insights and perspectives" and "advise on products, policies, and partnerships." There is a Head of Parental Advocacy with a doctorate. There is a companion programme called Parent Champions. The press release uses words like committed, empowered, co-creating, safe. If you are a parent who has been worried about Roblo

Confusion has a way of spreading faster than truth, and right now, confusion is spreading through our school communities about Australia’s "ban" on social media for children under 16 years. I can hear it in the voices of parents who are worried their child has done something illegal. I can see it in students who believe they are one login away from punishment. I can feel it among staff who are unsure where their legal responsibilities begin and end. Australia did not ban chi

If you work in a school as a principal, in advancement or marketing, board member, wellbeing lead, ICT manager or educator, you may already know this feeling. That quiet pause before approving a photo for social media and the moment of unease that didn’t exist five years ago. The sense that something has shifted, even if the policies haven’t yet caught up. You’re not imagining it. The risk environment has changed, and with the amount of coverage now appearing across Australia

For the past two days, I began each student's talk with these questions: “Who here is still able to access all the apps?” And for the older students: “Who has a younger sibling still with access?” In the first session, Yrs 9/10, there was hesitation. A few brave hands. I could feel the uncertainty in the room, maybe even shame or fear from those still under 16 years that they might get in trouble. I broke it open and spoke as I have become known for on LinkedIn and in inte

If you’ve ever posted a photo of your child with a smiley face or heart emoji over their face, you’re not alone. It’s become a kind of digital parenting ritual. A signal that says, I love them, but I’m protecting them too. That instinct, to protect while still sharing, is deeply human. But here’s what most of us haven’t been told: the tools we’ve been using to protect our kids online haven’t kept up with the technology, which is now learning from them. It’s time to gently, b

Walk into any department store this Christmas and you’ll find shelves of smiling toys powered by AI. Teddy bears that “listen with love.” Dolls that promise to “grow with your child.” Robots that say they can help with maths, literacy and loneliness. These aren’t screens, and yet they’re wired just the same with microphones, sensors, data connections, companion apps, and, crucially, an invisible thread to corporate servers far beyond parental reach. Audio becomes text, text b

If you don’t want your emails, chats, and digital habits feeding into Google’s AI systems (yes, even when it doesn’t say “AI” outright) there’s something buried in your settings you need to switch off. Google isn’t going to wave a flag or drop you a notification about it. These so-called smart features ? That’s just AI hiding under another name. Predictive writing. Autocomplete. Auto-summarise. “Help me write.” They’re generative AI tools in everything but name. And they’re h

Meta Is Texting Teens Why Parents and Teachers Must Talk to Them Today They’ve begun sending messages via SMS, email and in-app notifications, warning young users they have just days left on Instagram, Facebook and Threads if they’re under 16. The law banning under-16s from these platforms officially starts on December 10, but Meta is moving early — accounts will begin disappearing from December 4. This is a big, complex shift. But it’s also the perfect opportunity for sca

Six years ago, I was invited to speak at a school where one of the students was already a well-known influencer who was having a profound effect on her peers. She was 11. Her platform? Skincare routines. Today, it’s not just worse. It’s everywhere. “Get Ready With Me” videos are now a daily ritual for primary school girls. Morning routine. After-school routine. Night routine. Cleanser, toner, serum, lip mask, ice roller. Ten steps, tapped out by tiny gel nails on 10-year-old

In less than a month on December 10th the Australian Social Media Minimum Age Law starts being enforced. From 10 December 2025, social media platforms must stop Australians under 16 from having accounts and remove or deactivate existing under‑16 accounts. The legal duty is on the platforms, not on children or parents. Platforms must offer clear information, let users download their data, and provide simple review/appeal options if a mistake is made. They cannot make governmen

“I’m 16 but I look 14, so how will I get past the facial recognition? It estimates your age, and it will say I’m too young. Is there another way to confirm it, like a driver’s licence? Because social media is how I talk to all my friends, and I don’t use numbers.” This was an email I received this week. And it hasn’t left me. I could feel the panic through the text and the need for support. I received another 6 messages from this young person in the following hour through our

It started, as these things often do, with good intentions. One of the many Online Safety Educators that are popping up all over LinkedIn had seen something concerning online. We need to keep front of mind that we live in an attention economy where concern is currency. Outrage fuels algorithms and even posts intended as red flags often guide users directly to the thing they were told to fear. And not just kids. Adults too. We’ve seen it again and again: a new AI companion app

This isn’t just about erotica it’s about escalation and it’s already begun as we predicted. This is not a feature drop it’s a whopping big signal. A signal that the architecture of intimacy is being handed over to systems that simulate emotion but are incapable of understanding it. OpenAI announced less than 24hrs ago that they are preparing to loosen content restrictions on ChatGPT, opening the door to adult themes including erotica, as part of what CEO Sam Altman calls a br