When the Research Catches Up to What Parents Already Know – Jennifer Oaten
New research confirms what many families already sense: delaying smartphones protects your daughter’s wellbeing, sleep and confidence. Discover why waiting matters.
What The Research Shows
Dr Carr-Gregg led the 2019 NSW government review into smartphone use in schools. His work influenced policy in Victoria, Tasmania, and Western Australia. When he brings international research to Australian families, we can trust it applies to our context.
The American research tells a story many of us have been living. Adolescent brains are still developing, particularly in areas governing impulse control and decision-making. Smartphones are designed to be addictive. They exploit vulnerabilities in developing brains through dopamine-driven feedback loops.
When we hand an 11-year-old a smartphone, we are giving them technology deliberately designed to override their developing capacity for self-regulation. Then we wonder why they struggle to put it down.
The younger a child receives a smartphone, the harder it becomes to develop healthy technology habits. Early exposure correlates with higher rates of anxiety, depression, sleep disruption, and academic difficulty. Not scare tactics. Just patterns from studies tracking thousands of young people over the years.
What I found most validating was the research on timing. A 14-year-old has genuine neurological advantages over an 11-year-old when managing impulse control and delayed gratification. Waiting matters because the brain is more ready to handle these devices at 14 than at 11.
This is exactly what we have been saying at Santa Maria.
What Santa Maria Has Been Doing
For those new to these conversations, we spent the past year working on smartphone and social media policies. We consulted parents, students, and staff. The feedback was consistent. Smartphones are causing problems. We need boundaries that protect young people while they develop the maturity to manage these devices more responsibly.
Our smartphone expectations: We strongly discourage smartphones for students in Years 5 – 7, and they are not to be brought to school. If families feel contact capability is necessary, basic phones provide calls and texts without internet access, apps, or social media. Years 5 and 6 students hand their phones to teachers at the start of the day. Years 7 to 12 students keep their phones switched off in lockers throughout the school day. No phones should be seen at school.
Social media: We also support Australia’s move to restrict social media to age 16. Our expectation is that students wait until they turn 16 before using social media platforms. This protects them during vulnerable developmental years and aligns with emerging legislation. Yes, there are challenges, but even if a few children are protected, then it is a step in the right direction.
Filtering software: To support families with this, we have installed filtering software on all school laptops that block social media access, whether students are at school or at home. This removes the temptation and helps parents enforce boundaries without having to monitor constantly. Technology can support healthy boundaries when we use it intentionally.
These policies reflect consultation and genuine concern for student wellbeing. They create an environment where young women can focus on learning, building genuine friendships, and developing confidence grounded in real achievements rather than online metrics.
Why Community Support Matters
When Dr Carr-Gregg highlights research showing that community supports changes, it provides further evidence for our thinking. We asked both current Year 7 parents and incoming Year 5 parents (2026) when students should be allowed to bring smartphones to school. The results were striking, 72% of Year 5 parents chose Year 9, and 63% of Year 7 parents chose Year 9. Our staff independently said the same thing. When parents across different year levels and staff all reach the same conclusion, that tells you something.
The research also confirmed something else. Prevention beats intervention. By the time we notice a young person struggling with technology addiction or anxiety from social comparison or sleep disruption from late-night scrolling, we are already trying to fix a problem. Delaying access until students are developmentally ready prevents many of these problems from taking hold.
The Question Every Parent Faces
I know these policies ask something difficult of families. You swim against a cultural tide that assumes everyone needs a smartphone regardless of age. You field questions from your daughter about why her friends have phones when she does not. You worry about safety when she cannot contact you instantly.
Those concerns are real. But so is the research showing that early smartphone access carries risks to development and wellbeing.
The question becomes: which discomfort are we more willing to tolerate? The temporary discomfort of explaining why we are waiting, or watching our daughters struggle with technology they are not equipped to manage?
The research gives families permission to wait. It shows that delaying is protective. It validates decisions that feel difficult in the moment but serve our children’s wellbeing over time.
Moving Forward Together
The conversation about technology and young people will keep evolving. As platforms change, as legislation develops, and as research continues, we will keep learning and adjusting. What will not change is our commitment to making decisions based on what serves student development and wellbeing.
I am grateful to parents who have supported these policies, even when they required difficult conversations at home. I am grateful to students who have trusted us when we say these boundaries are about protection. I am grateful to the staff who consistently uphold these expectations because they see the difference.
And I am grateful to researchers doing this important work, and to people like Dr Carr-Gregg who bring these findings to Australian families so we can make informed decisions.
If you would like to discuss smartphone policies or need support with conversations at home, our pastoral care team is here. We make better decisions when we make them together.
Difficult conversations are worthwhile when they are protecting your daughter’s wellbeing.
- Adolescent brain developmen, Delaying smartphones for children, Digital boundaries for families, Featured, Girls' Education Perth, Mercy education approach, Parenting and Technology, Smartphone use in schools, Social media age limits, Student Wellbeing
Author: Santa Maria College
Santa Maria College is a vibrant girls school with a growing local presence and reputation. Our Mission is to educate young Mercy women who act with courage and compassion to enrich our world. Santa Maria College is located in Attadale in Western Australia, 16 km from the Perth CBD. We offer a Catholic education for girls in Years 5 – 12 and have 1300 students, including 152 boarders.
Coming Home – Alumni Celebrate the Cultural Centre
Santa Maria College alumni gathered to celebrate the opening of the College’s new Cultural Centre, reconnecting with classmates and celebrating the role of the arts in the community. The evening featured performances by current students and a 42-member Alumni Choir, highlighting the lifelong connections and shared experiences that continue to bring Old Girls back to the College.
From the President – August 2026
The August 2026 Old Girls’ Association President’s Report provides an update on upcoming meetings and alumni activities at Santa Maria College. President Mary Heavens outlines plans for the Pleiades Gathering, the inaugural Santa Maria College and Aquinas social event, and the Golden Girls’ lunch welcoming the Class of 1976.
Sophia, Building Beauty, Confidence and a Business
Santa Maria past student Sophia Whimp (2022) has built a successful home beauty business by combining creativity, resilience and a commitment to authentic client relationships. In this Q&A, she reflects on the lessons she learned at school, the challenges of starting a business at a young age, and the advice she has for students hoping to turn their passion into a career.
