As school holidays begin, children will have more time to explore, often turning to their devices for entertainment, education, and social interaction. Here, we highlight common online dangers to be aware of, advice on parental controls, and additional resources to help keep you and your family safe these holidays.
Common Online Dangers
Exposure to Pornography - Parents are up against a multi-billion dollar porn industry which has a vested interest in reaching children. Social media is where young people are most likely to have seen porn for the first time with X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Snapchat ranking highest after dedicated pornography sites.
Sextortion - A form of online blackmail where someone deceives or pressures you into sharing sexual images and then threatens to share the images unless their demands are met. Cases are increasing with children as young as 12 being targeted on social media and messaging platforms.
Cyberbullying affects 1 in 5 young Australians. Exclusion, threats and abuse online can escalate quickly leaving a young person feeling alone and unable to escape. The majority of kids who experience cyberbullying don’t tell anyone about it.
Decline in Mental Health - Eating disorders, mental illness, self harm and suicide are on the rise, specifically among 10-14 year olds. A 2022 study conducted across the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia revealed that within 8 minutes, TikTok served content related to eating disorders. Every 39 seconds, TikTok recommended videos about body image and mental health to teens.
Setting Up Parental Controls
While there's no single solution to keeping kids safe online, learning how to use parental controls and filtering software will help create additional layers of protection while your kids are online.
We recommend Family Zone, who has joined forces with Qustodio, to help give parents better visibility of children’s online activities and balance screen time - learn more on their website here.
Bark also provides comprehensive monitoring tools that run in the background, scanning your child’s activities for dangers including texts, social media, apps - even the photos and videos your child saves. Check them out here.
Educating Kids About Online Safety
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Open Communication: Encourage kids to share their online experiences.
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Recognise Red Flags: Empower your kids to recognise and respond to red-flag feelings so they can keep themselves safe when you're not there.
- Build Digital Literacy: Encourage critical thinking about online content.
Encouraging Healthy Online Habits
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Screen Time Management: Set reasonable limits and schedules to help create a healthy screen time balance.
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Encourage Positive Online Interactions: Here are some ways you can demonstrate positive online behaviour and encourage your young person to do the same.
- Create a Family Media Plan: Making a household plan for social media use can help you and your children set media priorities that matter most to your family.
Resources for Parents
Online Safety Websites and Apps: Recommended tools and resources
- Follow cyber safety expert (and our very own ambassador) Susan McLean on Facebook here, and visit Cyber Safety Solutions for resources that will help you navigate the issues children and adolescents face in the digital space. Susan covers vital topics such as sexting, image-based abuse and online grooming.
- Visit eSafety for an array of free resources including a guide to popular apps, tips for managing screen time and starting online safety discussions with children, eSafety is helping parents learn about the digital environment and stay up-to-date on children’s technology use.
- Common Sense Media - Reviews for what your kids are into (before they get into it) - for any parent or guardian wanting to know more about the movies, games, apps, books and podcasts your kids are interested in.
Online Programs: Opportunities for learning more about online safety
- Generation Next online courses - Gain FREE access for a limited time to sessions covering: 5 principles for internet safety, online bullying and mental health.
- Check out Protect Young Eyes for bite-sized lessons, videos and recommendations that aim to simplify complex digital subjects and respect your busy schedule.
- Culture Reframed FREE online programs - These courses guide parents of teens and tweens through topics that provide skills to build your child’s resilience and resistance to hypersexualised culture and the impacts of pornography. They also provide insight into the role of technology in kids’ lives.
- Think U Know is an Australian Federal Police-led program tailored to educating and increasing awareness about online child sexual exploitation including avoiding unwanted contact, online grooming, self generated content, sexual extortion and how to get help.
Reporting Abuse
Australia
- If a child is in immediate danger, call ‘000’
- Report abuse of children to the Australian Centre to Counter Online Child Exploitation here.
- Report online child sexual exploitation material, image-based abuse and cyberbullying to eSafety here.
- Make an anonymous report to CrimeStoppers here, or phone 1800 333 000
Outside Australia
- Report online child sexual exploitation to US-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children here.
- The Virtual Global Taskforce is a directory of global authorities you can report abuse to here.
Counselling and Support Services
- Kids Helpline is a free, private and confidential 24/7 phone and online counselling service for young people aged 5 to 25.
- Lifeline is a national service providing all Australians experiencing a personal crisis with access to 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention services.
- Reach Out is an online mental health service for young people and their parents. They provide specially targeted information to help any young person who visits the service.
Happy Holidays
With more free time online during the holidays, safeguarding your kids online doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. Understanding the risks including exposure to harmful content, cyberbullying, and mental health challenges, using available tools like parental controls, open communication, and tapping into the resources provided here can go a long way in helping create safer online spaces.
We hope you enjoy a safe and balanced holiday season, both online and offline!
See Also:
Don’t leave kids to defend themselves: Social Media Report cites our evidence
Parents Vs The Porn Industry Isn't A Fair Fight
Age Matters: The Case for Raising the Social Media Age Limit
‘My son was exposed to Pornhub with the click of a few buttons. He was 10 years old.’
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