Tasmania Police are urging parents to supervise their children’s online behaviour as The Friends School deals with the fallout of alleged illegal online activity involving students.
As Pulse reported last week, the prestigious private school notified parents about “online behaviour involving students from Friends’ and other local schools” and confirmed the matter had been referred to police.
It is understood the incident may have involved the use of AI-generated content.
In a statement to Pulse, Principal Esther Hill said the school was committed to educating and helping young people navigate the challenging and often difficult online environment.
“As a Quaker school, we deeply value integrity, and we feel very proud and grateful for the upstanding, values-driven actions of members of our community, who have demonstrated that open communication and the sharing of concerns are paramount in navigating the difficult landscape of social media and the online environment,” she said.
“We will continue to work with and encourage families to seek guidance and support in relation to navigating the online environment.”
“Given that this is a police matter, we are not able to provide further information so that we can both support those investigations and protect the privacy of any parties who are involved.”
Pulse understands one of the students involved in the incident has subsequently moved to a different school.
Tasmania Police said investigations are ongoing and encouraged parents and carers to stay vigilant about their children’s online activity.
“Have open conversations often, supervision is essential, be approachable if your child needs help, check privacy settings and know now how to report,” a police spokesperson said.
The police investigation comes amid fresh warnings from Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant about a deepfake crisis impacting schools nationwide.
“While the technology itself is free, fast, and easy to use, the harm it causes is deeply personal,” the report stated.
The report advises parents to talk regularly about deepfake harms and maintain open communication with children.
“If your child is affected – as a target, bystander, or creator – your first words matter,” it states.
Parents are urged to help collect evidence without storing explicit material and support children to report incidents to platforms, schools or police.
