The Ban Is Coming. And the Irony?

Let’s start with the part no one wants to say out loud. Schools are still posting student photos and events on platforms that students themselves are being banned from.

Schools still upload assemblies, sports carnivals, class photos, and Principal’s messages to Facebook and Instagram. In contrast, governments are preparing to roll out an under-16-year ban.

Meta (Facebook + Instagram + Whatsapp) is under fire worldwide for its role in harming mental health, spreading misinformation, and harvesting user data. Yet somehow, schools still use those exact platforms as one of their primary communication channels.

If a school hasn’t revisited the platform’s community standards recently, they probably don’t realise just how much has shifted and not in a good way. The rules have been quietly rewritten to give platforms more power to suppress entire voices. That means whole swathes of your community may be being shadowbanned, deprioritised, or outright removed without any transparency or recourse. And the school, by continuing to post and engage there, unknowingly aligns and is seen to support those invisible, unaccountable systems.

“Take digital wellbeing seriously,” we say while doing the opposite.

How can we expect students to protect themselves online when we’re putting them in danger?

Last year, I was sent hundreds of screenshots of a State Education Department that had posted full names, faces, and even the schools of kids on a public Facebook page. They were celebrating twins starting school. Sweet, right? Except now, any predator, stalker, or data broker knows precisely where to find them. That’s not just careless. That’s digital negligence, and it came from the adults in charge. “We’re just showcasing school pride. Celebrating student achievement. Promoting our community.”

But behind every smiling photo, every student achievement post, and every uniformed kid standing in front of a school sign…something darker is happening.

“But the parents want it.”

That excuse doesn’t hold up anymore. Parents might want an easy communication channel. However, that should never cancel a school’s legal and ethical responsibility. You wouldn’t post medical records because a parent asked. You wouldn’t hand out addresses for a “community moment.” So why are you posting student faces permanently feeding facial recognition systems and the potential for a child to be deepfaked? This isn’t harmless. It’s exposure. And if something goes wrong, guess who’s liable? Not the parents. The school. Being trusted with children means doing what’s right, not what’s popular.

Schools are turning students into data.

And not just any data. Biometric data. Every face posted to a public account becomes another line of code in someone else's machine. It trains facial recognition systems. Feeds algorithms. Builds digital profiles students never asked for and can’t erase. Even if a school deletes the photo, it’s already too late. AI web crawlers have scraped it. It’s been indexed. Archived. Monetised.Forever.

And what happens next?

Those same student faces could be:

• Matched to future online accounts

• Linked to public records, arrest logs, or news articles

• Pulled into surveillance databases without consent
  

And Schools could be held liable. Posting a child’s identifiable image without airtight informed consent? Up-to-date permission to publish forms that highlight all the risks that you may not know to exist? In some jurisdictions, that’s not just reckless. It’s legally risky. We’re not just talking about privacy anymore.

Facebook and Instagram are not neutral tools. They’re precision-engineered machines designed to:

• Hijack attention

• Feed addiction

• Harvest data

• Manipulate emotion

• Polarise communities

  
  

They’re not built for education. They’re built for engagement at any cost. And when schools post there, they’re not just “sharing updates.”They’re endorsing these systems. They’re legitimising these values. And students are watching every move.

“Limit screen time. Be kind online. Don’t compare yourself to others. The number of likes doesn't matter.”

That contradiction is not lost on young people. It undermines every well-being lesson. It teaches them that what we say matters less than what we do. Schools say they’re “future-focused,” building resilient, critical thinkers ready for a digital world. But how can we say that while their attention spans, mental health, and empathy are burned to the ground? You can’t teach digital literacy in the morning and feed the algorithm by lunch. If we’re serious about raising ethical digital citizens, we must model ethical digital behaviour. That means getting off platforms designed for exploitation, not education.

What Can Schools Do Instead?

Build a clean mailing list. Send high-impact updates, newsletters, and event invites — straight to parents and carers. No algorithm gatekeeping.

Make your school website your home base. Keep it updated, beautiful, and student-centred. Get them involved. Virtual tours, testimonials, and galleries are all in your control.

Host real-world events. Art shows how to use tech nights and cultural days. Create moments that matter, not posts that disappear in 24 hours.

Use secure, school-specific tools built for privacy, not profit.

Regional radio, local newspapers, and community podcasts are powerful channels that reach your community.

Still the most powerful marketing tool on the planet. Create experiences worth sharing, and your school community will do the talking.

Think billboards, flyers, murals, and chalkboards outside school gates. A bold message at your local train station? It has way more impact than a buried Reel.

Every decision a school makes sends a signal. If we keep aligning with platforms undermining student well-being, attention, safety, and trust, we’re not preparing students for the future. We’re prepping them for manipulation.

You don’t need to be everywhere. You need to be intentional. You don’t need to go viral. You need to be valuable. It’s time to walk the talk. Get off the platforms. Build something better. And let your community see what leadership looks like.