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Online safety

Learn about internet safety and advice you can give to your child to ensure they maintain safety when on the internet.

The internet and social media are part of the lives of many people and provide them with the opportunity to meet and communicate with people from all over the world. However, online technology and new modes of communication have also been used by predators and sex offenders to exploit and harm children.

While the internet generally offers great opportunities for children to learn and play, there are some areas of cyberspace that are not appropriate. Parents need to ensure children are actively supervised when using the internet, particularly time spent chatting online.

Steps for improving your child's safety

You can improve your child's safety by:

  • sitting down with your children and discuss the issues
  • making sure children are aware of some of the issues involved with spending time on the internet
  • showing children what sites they can go to and what information they can send out
  • being aware of the programs and files children use
  • installing filtering software on computers used by young people
  • being aware of the programs and files that are on your family's computers
  • placing the computer in a public area of the home, such as a living room
  • ensuring you are able to access your child's email and randomly check the contents
  • checking your phone bill for unusual outgoing calls or consider using a 'caller ID' device to identify incoming calls
  • discussing online safety with your child's school, public library or anywhere that you believe your child accesses the internet.

Warning signs

If your child has been targeted by an online predator you may see the following signs. These include:

  • finding pornography on your child's computer
  • your child receiving phone calls from people you do not know or your child calling numbers you do not recognise
  • your child spending a large amount of time on the internet
  • your child receiving gifts or mail from people you do not know
  • your child changing the screen or turning the computer off when you enter the room
  • your child becoming withdrawn or displaying behavioural problems

Advice for your children

It is advisable to tell your children:

  • not to send a picture of themselves to someone they do not know
  • to never place a full profile and picture of themselves anywhere on the internet
  • if they are using a Facebook page or similar, to block everyone's access to the page and only allow friends to have access to their profile
  • to never give out personal information including their name, home address, phone number or school
  • to never arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone they have chatted with on the internet

Online safety resources

The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC)

The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC)External Link leads the Australian Government’s efforts to improve cyber security. Their role is to help make Australia the most secure place to connect online.

They monitor cyber threats across the globe 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so they can alert Australians early on what to do.

ReportCyber is the ACSC's online reporting tool where you can report Cybercrime. Cybercrime is the use of a computer or online network to commit crimes such as fraud, online image abuse, identity theft or threats and intimidation.

If you need to make a report of Cybercrime, you can find out more about how to make a report on the ACSC's ReportCyber pageExternal Link .

If you need to report an emergency or online sex offences against children (including child exploitation material), you should:

eSafety

eSafety is a website created by the Office of the eSafety Commissioner. It is designed to help young people have safe and positive experiences online.

Find out more about how to stay safe online by visiting the eSafety websiteExternal Link .

Reviewed 18 August 2023

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