This week I spent some with House Leaders and Year Level Coordinators where we were able to collectively share some common themes and issues where students currently require support. As is often the case year level coordinators were able to make some concerning observations regarding students use of social media. In particular the now popular use of class SnapChat Groups.

Among Social Media platforms, Snapchat holds particular sway and has been identified by the College Wellbeing team as the social media tool representing some issues and worrying behaviours from students.

Class Snapchat groups, while created for collaboration and discussion, can quickly devolve into arenas for negativity and criticism. The immediacy and informality of social media can encourage students to express opinions they might not voice in face-to-face interactions, leading to the posting of hurtful or disparaging comments. Moreover, the viral nature of social media means that negative sentiments can spread rapidly within these closed circles, amplifying their impact and perpetuating a cycle of negativity. What our teams have observed is almost contagious among some class groups where the focus of negative comments overrides much of the positive outcomes of a student’s experience at school.

Negative comments within class Snapchat groups can have profound emotional consequences for students. Being on the receiving end of hurtful remarks can lead to feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, or depression, affecting both academic performance and overall well-being.

As primary educators of your student’s education we would encourage you that you have open and transparent conversations about the College’s concerns on classroom SnapChats groups. The platform is NOT an appropriate option as a classroom educative tool. The College has a very efficient email system that we would encourage students to use as platform for creating a positive and inclusive learning.