One month out from the start of a controversial social media ban for under 16s, schools are ramping up their communications on how they plan to support students and parents confused about the looming restrictions.

St Stephen’s School, a private college in Perth’s north, opted to send every secondary family a brochure outlining how the new law would affect school life.

It said some students may try getting around the new rules by using VPNs, proxies or someone else’s account, and urged parents to speak to their child because the school would not be checking students’ personal devices.

It also suggested offering safe alternatives that did not track data or use algorithms to curate students’ feeds, such as replacing YouTube with Vimeo, and helping students download their content before the ban took effect.

Ahead of Christmas, the brochure urged parents considering giving a smartphone as a gift to children about to start high school to hold off. “Waiting may be one of the most protective and loving choices for their future wellbeing,” it said.

From December 10, Australian kids under 16 will be banned from Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, Kick and Reddit.

St Stephen’s principal Donella Beare said the changes were still “a moving feast” and while parents were understanding, they wanted more detail.

The school provided information in a hard copy, instead of an email, so that parents would have something tangible on the kitchen bench or stuck on the fridge.

“It’s tough parenting out there today and it’s hard for these kids of that age,” she said. “So we’re hoping that this is just a little prompt to start conversations with families and also to just say, ‘hey, you’re not in this on your own, we’re all trying to navigate it together’.”

Year 7 students said the changes would be particularly difficult for them because they would lose access to a digital world they had grown up with.

“Instead of taking it all away, I feel like there should be more restrictions,” Bronte Moyle, 13, said.

Zara Chapman, 12, said she did not feel adequately prepared for the changes, which would stop her using Instagram to chat with friends.

“I feel it’s very sudden,” she said. “I post about my life, I’m a dancer ... I go to competitions and stuff. So I can also look at what my friends are doing and find people who have, like, common interests.”

Zane Dwyer, 12, said even though he wouldn’t be able to talk to his friends as much, he would use that extra time for basketball and football practice. “I feel like it will be fine,” he said.

An Education Department spokesperson said it would also help guide public schools to support families with the transition, even though the eSafety Commissioner was responsible for implementing the changes.

“We are liaising with the eSafety Commission and other key stakeholders to ensure that schools are receiving the most up-to-date information and resources,” they said. “Schools will be provided with templates to share this information with parents.”

“Department-wide controls will also be introduced to support the new legislation, meaning access to identified platforms will be restricted for students on the department’s network.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday said the reform had been driven largely by parents who had lost their young sons and daughters.

Communications Minister Anika Wells said record numbers of people had visited the eSafety website since its education campaign on the ban started three weeks ago.

“Our social media laws are not a cure, but they are a treatment plan,” she said. “We want children to have their childhood and we want parents to have peace of mind.”