Rise in teachers suspended for virtual grooming as online learning booms
Predatory teachers are increasingly using social media and electronic communication to groom children outside their classrooms as online learning becomes an everyday part of education.
Half the teachers currently suspended by Victoria's teaching watchdog are facing allegations of online 'grooming behaviour', up from only one in eight such suspensions two-and-a-half years ago.
The interim suspensions have been imposed by the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) in cases where it is deemed a teacher poses an unacceptable risk to children, and include allegations of students with additional vulnerabilities being targeted, of adults seeking opportunities to meet children in person, and of encouraging students to keep conversations secret.
VIT chief executive officer Martin Fletcher said teachers must maintain a professional relationship with students at all times, regardless of whether they were interacting in a classroom or via virtual learning.
'Social media, messaging apps, and online learning platforms offer unprecedented access – and with them, new risks,' Fletcher said.
'VIT is seeing a concerning increase in teachers crossing professional boundaries through digital communication.'
Of the 17 Victorian teachers currently on interim suspensions by the VIT, nine stem from allegations of grooming behaviour via electronic means. By comparison, only five of the 40 interim suspensions undertaken in 2022 related to allegations involving electronic communications.
Investigations undertaken by the VIT have uncovered high volumes of communication between teachers and students, sometimes over multiple platforms and at inappropriate times when a young person is more likely to be alone, such as late at night.
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