Students Join Global Discussion on Social Media Ban
July 9, 2026
Casey Grammar School students have helped tell an important story about young people, social media and the value of connection in a new international documentary series.
The New Zealand Herald docuseries Under the Influence explores young people’s experiences with social media, device addiction and efforts to protect them online. Our school was invited to participate as a result of the new Student Mobile Device Policy, which attracted widespread interest earlier this year.
The final episode in the series, Lessons from Australia, was released today. It features 12 Casey Grammar students from our Senior and Junior Schools, along with Australian experts and advocates speaking openly about the impact of social media on young people. Through relaxed group discussions led by the producer they outlined the challenges involved, along with the positives they have noticed, as a result of the ban.
Producer and Director, Nadia Maxwell, and her crew travelled from New Zealand to speak with our students. She was impressed by their thoughtful and articulate reflections, particularly their ideas about how Australia’s social media ban could have been introduced more effectively.
“One student suggested New Zealand should work with young people to slowly reduce their screen time before the ban, to ease the transition.
“Given the addictive design of social media, I thought this was a really strong suggestion. The students were also very astute and had clocked that there is way more the social media companies could be doing to comply, if they wanted to, but that the incentive wasn’t there,” says Nadia.
Ms Maxwell said the experiences and harms associated with social media use are similar for young people in Australia, New Zealand and around the world.
“It’s a brave school that goes out ahead of the pack, but Principal Fiona Williams spoke to the moral obligation she felt to step up once she was familiar with the research,” she said.
“I loved her stories of the noticeable changes they have seen across the school since implementing the new policy.”
Mrs Williams pointed out that the new mobile device policy is not about rejecting technology, but helping young people understand that they do not need to be constantly available to belong. She also noted how proud the staff and students are to have contributed to such an important shift for current and future generations.
“Listening to their insights was a humbling reminder of how much our young people are watching us and deciding if the way we currently live our lives is something they genuinely want for themselves,” Ms Williams said.
You can view the powerful series trailer here.
Photo credit: Overactive Imagination
