Ballarat’s parents, carers and educators are urged to come together today to talk safe online spaces.
Tuesday the 7th of February 2023 marks the 20th Global Safer Internet Day and we’re being urged to safeguard children by starting the process of understanding online safety early.
The Australian Government’s eSafety Commission has outlined the steps that can be taught for online safety: Connect. Reflect. Protect.
Connect safely and with purpose – by keeping apps and devices secure and using social media in positive ways.
Reflect before we act – by taking a moment to consider how what we do and say online may affect others.
Protect ourselves and others by taking action – by telling family, friends or colleagues about eSafety and how we can help.
To help locals understand the Connect. Reflect. Protect. initiative, Ballarat East Neighbourhood House is hosting a free session today at 11am in Barkly Square in cooperation with the eSafety Comissioner. You can register for the session and access resources for eSafety here.
Cyber safety expert Professor Susan Edwards from ACU, says it’s the easy access to the internet that is a real problem, rather than just online behaviour.
“As the technology’s evolved, obviously now we’ve got touchscreens, we’ve got voice activations, we’ve got wearables, the interenet is embedded in our actions.
“So I don’t know if things are getting worse, in so much that as the capacity for technology evolves so does what we do with it.”
By sharing the Connect. Reflect. Protect. message, the Australian Government is working towards making every day a Safer Internet Day.
