June 2011     During the recent Cybersafety Summit in Canberra, the government had the opportunity to consult with young people, parents and teachers on how to keep Australians safe online.

Summit participants provided  their views on other government initiatives including the budd:e cyber security education modules, new resources that focus on the role of the bystander in addressing cyberbullying, and the expansion of resources for the Cybersafety Help Button.

The Cybersafety Help Button provides internet users, particularly children and young people, with easy and immediate online access to cybersafety information and assistance.

“Many thousands of students, parents and teachers in schools, homes and libraries across Australia have access to the Cybersafety Help Button. The government is working on further enhancements such as the development of mobile and browser applications – which I expect to launch later this year,” Senator Stephen Conroy said.

Senator Conroy also released the results of two surveys: the teachers’ survey and parents' survey, conducted in 2010.

The teachers’ survey involved over 2000 teachers in government and non-government schools in all states and territories, and at both primary and secondary school level.

“I was encouraged to learn that almost two thirds of all teachers indicated they had accessed one or more key cybersafety information sources, including the Australian Government’s own Cybersmart website.  These findings demonstrate that while our schools and our teachers are aware of and concerned about cybersafety and cyber security issues, most agree that more education is needed to create a cyber safe culture,” Senator Conroy said.

The teachers’ survey complements a parents’ survey on children’s cybersafety and cybersecurity experiences, also undertaken in 2010.

The research revealed:

•  Around 3 in 4 children access the internet in an open family space
•  9 out of 10 children were found to use the internet for educational activities, about 7 in 10 for online games, just over 6 in 10 for music and videos, and nearly half for social networking sites.  Kids aged 12-17 have a higher incidence for social networking use.
•  Younger primary school children spend 2-3 hours per week on the internet, while older teenagers spend 13-14 hours.
• Less than half of parents felt "well informed" about cyber safety issues, and a third of parents are very concerned about the safety risks of internet use by their children.  This level of concern peaks at the end of primary school.

The majority of parents have implemented some preventative measures at home. The measures used are:

• anti-virus software - 3 in 4
• being near the child while on the internet / computer in open area - 2 in 3
• filters - 1 in 2
• child needs to ask before visiting websites / parents checking websites visited - 1 in 2

Of these parents, the largest number (32.5%) felt that sitting with or near their child was the most effective measure to minimise risk when using the internet.

How common are cyber safety incidents?  Parents reported nearly 1 in 5 children between 5 and 17 years of age had experienced at least one incident of a cyber-safety or e-security problem in the previous 12 months.  Thse included visiting inappropriate websites, threatening or bullying messages, and strangers making contact.

The most common way of handling these incidents were speaking to the child, followed by blocking the responsible party, and lower on the list was informing the school of the incident.

Links:

To view a full copy of this report: Cybersafety research

Cybersafety Help Button

YourKidsEd Cybersafety resources

From information provided by Senator Stephen Conroy, 30 May, 2011.

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