Keeping Kids Safe: What You Need to Know About Personal Devices in Early Childhood Services
What You Need to Know About Personal Devices in Early Childhood Services
The Victorian Government has introduced important new rules around the use of personal electronic devices in early childhood education and care (ECEC) services. These changes are designed to protect children’s safety and privacy, especially when it comes to taking and storing digital images and videos.
🚫 What’s Changing?
If you work in a centre-based service—like long day care, kindergarten, or outside school hours care—you’ll need to follow new restrictions:
- No personal devices (phones, tablets, USBs, smartwatches, etc.) can be used to take or store images or videos of children.
- Only service-issued devices are allowed for capturing media.
- Staff must follow strict rules on how images are stored and for how long.
👩🏫 Who Does This Apply To?
These rules apply to anyone working directly with children, including: Educators and teachers (including casual staff) Volunteers and student placements Third-party contractors and allied health professionals
✅ Exceptions (With Written Approval)
In limited cases, personal devices may be used—but only with written approval from the service provider and for essential purposes like:
- Emergency communication during excursions
- Health monitoring (e.g., blood sugar levels)
- Disability-related communication needs
Important: Personal devices can never be used to take images or videos of children—even with approval.
💡 How Teltech Can Help
At Teltech, we support early childhood services with:
- Service-issued mobile phones for compliant image and video capture
- Secure device setup and mobile management
- ICT audits to ensure your systems meet regulatory standards
- Training and support for staff on safe technology use
