I recently completed refresher training by the eSafety Commissioner around preventing and responding to cyberbullying and was reminded of the great resources that they offer Australians for online safety. I recommend that you take a first or another look at their website www.esafety.gov.au and check out the pages for Parents and for Kids to be confident in supporting your family with online engagement and cybersafety.

eSafety regularly offers free webinars of 30 to 45 minutes duration for parents and carers across a number of topics including consent, gaming, and social media use. Their research has identified that one in five young Australians aged between 8-17 years have reported to being socially excluded, threatened, or abused online. So importantly, at the top of each page across the website is a red button to easily report any issue of online abuse. The factsheets also offer steps that can be practically taken to help resolve cyberbullying issues. One particular article that is useful for families with students who love being online is “Screen Time”, which can be found in “Issues and Advice” under the Parent tab, helping families to achieve a healthy balance towards online and offline activities.

While this is a fantastic resource, please also bring your concerns to school staff, or if necessary to the Qld Police. And I’m here to help too.

Blessings, Chappy Jenny

Email – jennifer.bennett@suchaplaincy.org.au

Facebook and Instagram – Community_Chaplain