Mirror XR | Connecting Educators, Parents, and Teenagers in This Gaming Era | In collab with Aldinga Payinthi College & City of Onkaparinga

First 50 registrations from members of City of Onkaparinga (ACCESS CODE: ONKAMXR1025) will receive free complementary tickets!

Today’s teenagers live in a world that’s radically different from the one most educators and parents grew up in — one where friendships are built in online games, identities are explored in virtual worlds, and challenges are faced both on and off screen.

Yet many adults still struggle to relate. While research shows that:

• Adult mental health problems started before 14-years-old.

• More than 66% of Australian teachers find the “Digital Technologies” curriculum difficult to teach.

• 60% of parents don’t recognize their child’s mental health struggles when they first arise.

The disconnect is real.

Bridging the generational gap of technology is time-critical.

Gen Z are the first true digital natives. Their digital lives are not just a phase or a trend, but are deeply intertwined with their emotional well-being, identity, and social connections. It’s how and where they live. If educators and parents want to truly support young people, we need to meet them where they are — in both physical and digital worlds. That means understanding the risks, complexities, and joys of the gaming era. It means shifting from confusion to curiosity, from being risk-averse to empathetic.

In today’s world, the role of parenting and teaching must extend into the digital space.

Keynote Speaker: Christel Cherryadi 

Founder | AI-XR Creative Director & Tech Lead of Creart Digital Media

Christel is an award-winning creative technologist and digital innovation strategist with over 14 years of cross-disciplinary experience across the creative industries - including visual design, multimedia production, UX/UI, and full-stack digital development. As the founder of Creart Digital Media, she leads organisations into the next frontier of digital transformation by integrating AI and XR (Extended Reality) into meaningful, human-centred innovation.