When Online Words Spill into the Schoolyard

In today’s digital world, many children connect with one another beyond the school day — through gaming, messaging apps and group chats. Increasingly, schools are called upon to support students when online conversations or gaming interactions have taken an inappropriate turn.

We are increasingly finding that language or behaviour between students online, such as teasing, exclusion, or the use of offensive terms during gaming or messaging, can carry over into the school environment. When this happens, it often leads to frustration, misunderstandings, and in some cases, verbal or physical conflict during the school day. What begins as a “digital disagreement” can quickly become a real-world problem that affects learning, relationships and wellbeing.

As a Catholic school community, we are committed to fostering respect and empathy in all spaces — both in person and online. We encourage parents and carers to:

• Monitor your child’s online activity — know who they are gaming or chatting with and what platforms they are using.
  
  Talk about language and tone online — help your child understand that what feels like a “joke” in a chat can be deeply hurtful or misinterpreted.
  
  Encourage healthy boundaries — screen-free time is essential for rest, play and family connection.
  
  Remind them that school is a safe space — conflicts from outside of school should not be brought into the classroom or playground.
  
  

When online issues do spill over, our staff work carefully with all students involved to restore relationships and promote accountability, in line with our St Clare’s Student Engagement Guidelines. However, we rely on partnership with families to help reinforce the same expectations at home.

Together, we can help our young people grow into thoughtful digital citizens who understand that kindness, respect and responsibility apply — whether they’re face to face or behind a screen.