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Ollie's Echo: Pathways to Prevention Ltd, Brisbane (2026)

06/08/2026

NAPLAN 2026 results show reading scores for Years 5, 7 and 9 are lower than last year. Cognitive neuroscientist Dr Jared Cooney-Horvath recently told the US Senate that today's kids are "less cognitively capable" than their parents.

Brisbane teacher Larissa says screens have "placed a barrier" between her and her students, echoing concerns raised by families as one-to-one devices become standard in Australian classrooms.

The Heads Up Alliance, a group of Australian teachers and families, are calling on Education Ministers across Australia to make primary schools device-free and cut back on laptop use in high school. If you think today's NAPLAN results are a reason to rethink screens in the classroom, you can read more and support the petition through the link below.

https://c.org/hG8tf8m5

02/08/2026

There is an important conversation happening about the role of technology in our classrooms and I believe it's one we need to have.

As someone who spends time in schools speaking with students, teachers and families, I've seen firsthand how difficult it has become for young people to focus, connect and learn in an increasingly digital world. Technology absolutely has a place in education, but it should support learning, not compete with it.

This petition calls for an evidence-based approach to the use of screens in Australian schools, including device-free primary schools, a renewed focus on literacy and handwriting, safer educational technology and careful consideration of the role of AI in classrooms.

Whether you agree with every recommendation or not, I encourage you to read the proposal and make up your own mind. Our children deserve education policies driven by evidence and what's best for their development—not by convenience or commercial interests.

If you believe it's time to put children's learning, wellbeing and human connection back at the centre of education, please consider signing and sharing the petition.

28/07/2026

Exciting news for Central Queensland schools!

We're incredibly proud to share that Ollie's Echo: Pathways to Prevention Ltd has been awarded funding through the Aurizon Community Giving Fund to deliver our Educating the Educators: Notice | Respond | Refer Pilot Program across selected schools in the Rockhampton region. As part of this whole-school approach to prevention, we'll also be delivering our student program, Power of Words, Social Media & Mental Health Fitness, ensuring both educators and young people are supported through lived-experience-led prevention and education.

This pilot is about much more than delivering a presentation.

It brings together our student and educator programs to support a whole-school approach to prevention, helping schools build safer, kinder and more connected communities.

At Ollie's Echo, we believe prevention begins long before a young person reaches crisis. It begins with awareness, connection and the confidence to start a conversation. Through lived experience, practical resources and educator professional learning, we hope to equip school communities with the confidence to notice earlier, respond with compassion and strengthen the incredible wellbeing work already taking place in schools.

A heartfelt thank you to the Aurizon Community Giving Fund for believing in prevention and helping us bring this important work to Central Queensland.

We can't wait to begin working alongside these schools and share the journey with you.

Are you a school in Central Queensland? We'd love to connect. If you'd like to learn more about the pilot or explore how Ollie's Echo can support your students, educators and wider school community, please reach out. We'd be delighted to have a conversation.

27/07/2026

Last Friday, our Founder, Mia Bannister had a great chat with Robin & Kip with Corey Oates on 973 and the conversation aired this morning. It was a fantastic opportunity to talk about one of the biggest challenges facing families today, how we help young people navigate the digital world safely while protecting their wellbeing.

We spoke about the growing evidence around screens and social media, why these platforms were never designed with children's wellbeing as the priority and why prevention must start long before a young person reaches crisis.

One of the points I always come back to is this:

We haven't banned kids from social media. We've required technology companies to demonstrate they can provide a safe environment for children before they are given access.

As parents, schools and communities, we're doing our best to navigate a world that has changed faster than any of us could have imagined. Families shouldn't have to compete with billion-dollar platforms whose business models are built on capturing attention rather than protecting wellbeing.

At Ollie's Echo: Pathways to Prevention Ltd , our focus is prevention. Through education, awareness and practical conversations, we're working to create safer, kinder environments where young people can thrive both online and offline.

A huge thank you to Robin, Kip & Corey for creating space for these conversations. Every interview helps raise awareness, challenge old thinking and keep the focus where it belongs: protecting children before harm occurs.

27/07/2026

🏌️‍♂️ PRIZE SPONSORSHIP SPOTLIGHT

A huge thank you to Rod Rose for generously donating a framed print of legendary South Sydney Rabbitohs player Greg Inglis, complete with a Certificate of Authenticity, to the prize pool for this year’s Ollie’s Echo Golf Day.

This is such a fantastic prize for any Rabbitohs supporter or rugby league fan, and we’re incredibly grateful to Rod for helping make this year’s prize pool so special.

Generous donations like this help us raise vital funds to continue Ollie’s Echo’s prevention, education and awareness programs, creating safer and kinder environments for young people before they reach crisis point.

There are still limited opportunities to join us on the day. We have room for two individual players, with hole sponsorships and prize bag sponsorship also still available.

Please reach out if you’d like to play, sponsor or support this year’s Golf Day.

Thank you again, Rod, for your generosity and support of Ollie’s Echo.

25/07/2026

Last night our Founder, Mia Bannister had the privilege of MCing an incredible evening with the wonderful Maggie Dent here in Brisbane as she spoke about Mothering Our Boys.

Standing in front of a room filled with parents, carers, grandparents and educators was a powerful reminder that raising children has never been more complex. Today's families are navigating challenges previous generations never imagined, from social media and online pressures to mental fitness, bullying and body image.

Maggie's message was one of compassion, connection and understanding. She reminded us that boys need safe relationships, emotional permission, strong boundaries and adults who are willing to stay curious, keep listening and keep showing up.

These conversations matter.

At Ollie's Echo: Pathways to Prevention Ltd, we believe prevention starts long before a young person reaches crisis. It starts with informed parents, connected communities, supportive schools and creating environments where young people know they are seen, valued and safe.

A huge thank you to Maggie for continuing to champion the wellbeing of our young people and to everyone who attended with open hearts and minds. Every conversation like this helps change the narrative.

Together, we can create a kinder, safer future for the next generation. 💙

22/07/2026

New eSafety research released today confirms what so many parents already feel: parenting in the digital age has become extraordinarily complex.

Two new reports exploring the digital lives of Australian children show that parents and carers are deeply engaged in helping their children develop safer and healthier online habits—but they are being asked to navigate technologies, risks and platforms that are evolving faster than most families can reasonably keep pace with.

Among children aged 3 to 10:
🔹 97% have been online
🔹 94% had used the internet in the previous four weeks
🔹 31% had used a social media platform or app
🔹 15% had already used an AI assistant or companion

The research also found that 67% of parents expressed negative feelings about their young child being online, with worry and anxiety dominating. Almost three in four said helping their child stay safe online was challenging.

For children aged 10 to 17, 93% of parents said they discuss online safety—but conversations about newer and more complex risks remain far less common:

🔹 Only 26% had discussed how algorithms influence what children see
🔹 Just 11% had discussed the safe and responsible use of generative AI
🔹 Only 8% had discussed sexual extortion

These findings are not a criticism of parents. They are evidence of how difficult digital parenting has become.

As our founder, Mia Bannister, has often said:

“Parenting in the digital age is like trying to put a fence around a cyclone - fast, chaotic and often steeped in guilt. Many of us have felt too late to act, too unsure to intervene and too overwhelmed to keep up.”

There is no handbook for navigating technologies we did not grow up with, particularly when platforms, algorithms and online risks continue to evolve so rapidly.

Parents cannot be expected to compete alone with billion-dollar platforms, opaque algorithms and technologies deliberately designed to capture and hold children’s attention.

Education and open conversations matter enormously, but responsibility cannot stop at the family home.

Children also need safer platforms, age-appropriate environments, meaningful regulation and Safety by Design. Digital literacy and wellbeing must be embedded, not bolted on after harm has occurred.

Families deserve support, not judgement.

And children deserve a digital world designed with their safety and wellbeing at its foundation.

Ollie's Echo: Pathways to Prevention Ltd welcomes this important research. Our founder and lived-experience advocate, Mia Bannister MICDA, is available to speak with media about the findings, the realities of parenting in the digital age, platform accountability, Safety by Design and Australia’s social media minimum age framework.

Emma Mason Smacktalk The Heads Up Alliance eSafety Commissioner

22/07/2026

🇫🇷 France has followed Australia's lead.

Yesterday, France became the first country in Europe to pass legislation preventing children under 15 from accessing social media platforms, joining Australia in recognising that children deserve protection before profit.

The UK is now moving in the same direction, with plans to prevent under-16s from accessing social media alongside default overnight app curfews and restrictions on addictive platform features.

This is more than a policy trend. It reflects a growing global understanding that the current digital environment is not designed with children's wellbeing in mind.

At Ollie's Echo: Pathways to Prevention Ltd, we have always believed that prevention means acting before harm occurs. We don't wait for young people to reach crisis before asking difficult questions about the systems surrounding them.

As more nations take action, the conversation is shifting from parental responsibility alone to platform accountability.

Children deserve digital spaces that are safe by design, not places where engagement is prioritised over wellbeing.

We haven't banned our children. We've stopped social media platforms from accessing children unless they can demonstrate they can do so safely.

This isn't about banning childhood.
It's about giving childhood back.

Together, we can keep changing the narrative. Preventing harm.

21/07/2026

🏌️‍♂️ GOLF DAY PRIZE SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT

A huge thank you to Nicky Scriggins from OKMqld for his incredibly generous donation to this year’s Ollie’s Echo Golf Day, a stunning Cynara Chair valued at $1,150.

This beautiful chair comes fully spec'd out with fixed arms, castors and very fittingly, in my favourite Orange Red. The perfect colour to reflect Ollie’s gorgeous red hair.

We are so grateful to Nicky and the team at OKMqld for getting behind Ollie’s Echo and helping us build an exciting prize pool for this year’s event.

Support like this means so much to our small charity and helps us continue starting important conversations with young people before they reach crisis point.

There are also still a few opportunities to be involved in this year’s Golf Day.

We have room for just one more team and two individual players and hole sponsorships and prize bag sponsorship are still available.

Please reach out if you would like to join us, sponsor part of the day or support Ollie’s Echo in another way.

Thank you Nick, for your generosity and ongoing support.

20/07/2026

A huge thank you to the Brisbane AFL playing group for choosing Ollie's Echo: Pathways to Prevention Ltd as a recipient of a generous $5,000 donation through the AFL Players' Association Players Care program.

Each AFL player contributes $50 from their match fee for every game they play, with the funds then distributed by each playing group to charities they genuinely believe in. To know that the Brisbane players have chosen to support our work means more than we can say.

A very special shout-out to Oscar Allen and Anthony Corrie, whose ongoing support, belief and advocacy for Ollie’s Echo continue to make a meaningful difference. Having people within the AFL community stand beside us helps amplify conversations about prevention, kindness, mental health, eating disorders, online harms and the pressures facing boys and young men.

This donation will help us continue reaching young people, families, schools and communities with important conversations before a young person reaches crisis point.

To the Brisbane playing group, the AFL Players’ Association and everyone involved in Players Care, thank you for believing in our mission and helping us build safer, kinder and more connected communities.

We are incredibly grateful.

Ollie's Echo: Pathways to Prevention Ltd

06/08/2026

02/08/2026

28/07/2026

27/07/2026

27/07/2026

25/07/2026

22/07/2026

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21/07/2026

20/07/2026

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