Sector Alert

SA personal mobile devices ban in long day care and preschool and upcoming national regulatory changes 

The State Government has announced a ban on the use of personal mobile devices in early years services to strengthen safety and better protect young children.

All South Australian long day care and preschool services will be required to implement a policy and procedure, addressing the use of personal devices and ensure this is in line with the National Model Code.

The services will be required to provide assurance and a copy of these documents to the Education Standards Board (ESB) by 26 September 2025.

Services that do not provide policies and procedures or have not complied with these requirements may have conditions imposed.

The National Model Code outlines that only service-issued devices should be used when taking images or videos of children while providing education and care. Personal mobile devices capable of taking images or videos, personal storage, or file transfer media cannot be in possession of any person while they are working directly with children.

Next steps

Approved Providers are encouraged to begin preparing and reviewing their policies in advance of the changes to the Regulation, which come into effect on 1 September 2025.

The ESB will provide further guidance prior to this date, including details on how services can demonstrate compliance. This will involve the submission of an assurance form confirming that relevant policies and procedures are in place. Services will also be required to submit a copy of supporting policies and procedures to ESB.

To ensure compliance, the ESB will conduct spot checks of both policy documents and service implementation.

Please note:

• Failure to have the required policy in place may result in a financial penalty of $1,100.
• Failure to take reasonable steps to ensure that staff follow the required policy may also result in a financial penalty of $1,100.
• Additional conditions may be imposed on services that do not have a policy implemented or comply with the policy requirements.

Read the full Sector Alert Here