Tech solution supports student mental health
Australian tech services provider Data#3 has announced a partnership with Gaggle, a US-based provider of student safety and wellbeing technology solutions.
Data#3 is bringing the Gaggle solution, designed to support the rising mental health needs of primary and secondary school students, to the Australian market.
Gaggle uses a combination of AI and trained safety experts to manage student safety across school-provided technology and devices, assisting in the prevention of student suicide, bullying, inappropriate behaviours, school violence and other harmful situations.
During the 2019–20 United States academic year, Gaggle reported 64,000 references to suicide or self-harm in students’ online activity, helping US school districts save the lives of 927 students planning or attempting suicide.
A 2015 Australian Government report on child mental health found that one in 10 students aged 12 to 17 reported having ever self-harmed. One in 13 reported seriously considering suicide in the previous 12 months1. In 2020, Australian mental health experts examined the impact of the pandemic on young people’s mental health, wellbeing and rates of suicide, with modelling by the Brain and Mind Centre at the University of Sydney and the NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence suggesting up to a 25% increase in suicides2.
“As the largest provider of Microsoft solutions within Australian schools, we found that our education customers are increasingly concerned about student wellbeing, given the rapid move to remote and hybrid learning,” said David Wain, National Practice Manager – Education Sector for Data#3.
“Gaggle has a proven reputation in the US. With the platform’s integration to Microsoft Office 365, we can offer an additional level of control and oversight on how the platform is being used,” he said.
References
- The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents: Report on the second Australian Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, August 2015
- Australian Medical Association, 2020
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