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Think you know how kids can stay safe online? Education can help

  • Artigo

Child safety on the internet is a major priority for Microsoft. With the launch of the ThinkUKnow pilot in Australia, we’re taking another step towards making the internet a safer and more secure place for Australian kids.

ThinkUKnow , a joint initiative between Microsoft, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), is an education program designed to provide parents, teachers and carers with information and advice on how to help children have a fun and safe experience when they’re surfing the net.

The pilot will initially see trained volunteers, including 60 from Microsoft, deliver in-person training and education programs to over 100 schools in New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT. As part of the training, volunteers will be providing content to parents, teachers and carers that is compelling, relevant and resonant with young people – the ultimate audience we’re trying to reach and protect.

As we see parents, teachers and carers as a key line of defence when it comes to child safety online, one of the primary goals of ThinkUKnow is to educate adults on how to assist children to have a positive online experience and help them to manage their children’s online safety. Participants in the pilot will learn about the types of things young people are doing online and be given guidance on minimising risks and address issues as they arise. Ultimately, we believe that the more information caregivers have about how children behave and interact online, the better equipped they will be to offer support, advice and protection.

While the internet is a beneficial and valuable resource, risks and threats do exist for children in the online world. And the irony is that while many adults may trail behind children when it comes to their knowledge and use of technology, children may lack the real-world experiences and sound judgment of adults, potentially making them more vulnerable to online risks.

Online risks faced by children may include: being approached and potentially “groomed” by online sex offenders, cyber-bullying, being stalked online, and exposure to inappropriate content, identity theft, fraud and online scams.

Microsoft has a long-standing commitment to address such risks to help make the internet a safer and more secure space. We take a holistic approach to addressing online safety including through the development of technology tools, cooperation with law enforcement, and contribution to public policy and extensive consumer education. We believe being a principal partner in the ThinkUKnowinitiative is an important part of a comprehensive strategy we have put in place to respond to these issues.

The issue of child safety is underscored by some recent research on cyber-bullying commissioned by Microsoft Australia – the results of which were quite surprising. The survey, conducted by Galaxy Research and accessible here found that over 80 per cent of parents did not know what to do if their child was being cyber-bullied, and two out of three parents said that they were unsure about the best alternative to help their children. Interestingly, the survey also found that 57 per cent of parents and 59 per cent of children reported that they have heard of incidents of cyber-bullying among people they know.

As you can imagine, these results were quite concerning and drove home that, as a society, we still have a lot of work to do in coming to terms with the digital age in which we live. ThinkUKnow is designed to be a part of the solution to help manage and reduce the risks associated with children’s use of the internet.

It’s also important to recognise the real heroes of ThinkUKnow -- the volunteer trainers. Volunteers, drawn from Microsoft, the AFP and ACMA, are the driving force behind the delivery of the ThinkUKnow program. Many of these volunteers are parents themselves and have taken the issue of child safety online into their own hands by donating their time and energy. In doing so, they have made it possible to extend the reach of the ThinkUKnow pilot beyond our existing resources. Importantly, they also bring a human face to a topic that can be technical and challenging to understand.

The launch of ThinkUKnow pilot is an exciting development. Together, we thank our original partner in the ThinkUKnow program, the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre in the United Kingdom, whose guidance has been invaluable in putting the Australian initiative together. Over the course of the next several months, we’re confident that this hands-on education program will result in real benefits for many, many Australian families.

Julie Inman-Grant, Regional Director, Internet Safety and Security, Microsoft

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