What a way to let off steam and celebrate the end of 13 years of schooling.

It’s also about the same time these delightful teens make news for their headlines.

Gold Coast residents and police brace for impact as their beachside safe haven becomes a walking headline for a week.

We all know what happens on schoolies, stays on schoolies

Unless you are daft enough to post your antics to social media, then you become a national laughing stock and face public ridicule and the strong arm of the law.

Gone are the days people can trash a hotel room anonymously or silently get away with offensive or illegal behaviour. 

Why?

Because if you don’t post a video, chances are someone else is watching and they have footage.

It speaks to a generation that has to document their every move because did it really happen if it’s not on Snapchat or Facebook?

Well, yes. 

So why take the risk?

Much has been done in the past to curb underage drinking, drug use and violent behaviour.

But you let a bunch of teenagers, who have been predominantly under adult supervision for most of their lives, loose in another state and mishaps happen.

This is not to say Schoolies should be cancelled or their right to celebrate should be taken away.

Crowds are generally well behaved, it just takes one or two people to give the event a bad name.

It’s just baffling how someone can think that deliberately trashing a hotel room and destroying another person’s property is an acceptable mode of celebration.

While the idea of a rock star lifestyle while mum and dad aren’t around might be appealing, surely the idea of ending the night in handcuffs is not.

For those who are yet to embark on Schoolies or their own adapted version of it, be careful, be sensible and be safe.

No one likes to hear how what should have been an enjoyable occasion has ended in disaster.

Make sure you don’t go from Schoolie to ‘Toolie’ in one regrettable act.