In recent years the internet has become a place where children and adults are often the subject of unsolicited approaches in order to commit sexual offences. Often people are exposed to unwanted sexual material, or a young person comes across a questionable content by accident.

While the internet is fundamentally a great place for children, there are some areas of cyberspace that are not appropriate. Kids generally have not yet developed the critical thinking skills required to stay safe, although they may think they have! As such there are many things parents and carers can do to help ensure their safety on the internet.

Listed below are some useful resources you might want to access.

Queensland Police Service – ‘Who’s chatting to your kids?’

In order to develop awareness and increase personal safety the Queensland Police Service have developed the excellent document, ‘Who’s chatting to your kids?’ which you can or download [ 239 kB PDF] or preview below.

CyberSmart

Cybersmart is a national cybersafety and cybersecurity education program managed by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), as part of the Australian Government’s commitment to cybersafety. The program is specifically designed to meet the needs of its target audiences of children, young people, parents, teachers and library staff.