Summer Bay grooming storyline a must-watch for parents and teens

Home And Away has a dramatic new plot and it’s one that all parents of teens will relate to

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For a sleepy coastal town, Summer Bay has had its fair share of drama over the past few decades. Explosions, kidnappings, murders. Fans have been kept on the edge
of their seats, but few viewers would have been able to relate to what was playing out
in front of them.

Now one character is at the centre of a frightening but all too familiar storyline that will no doubt touch many of the show’s viewers — especially young ones: online grooming.

Courtney Miller’s character Bella, a 16-year-old-student at Summer Bay High, sparks up a friendship on a student forum with a boy she believes to be a fellow teenager. The two constantly exchange messages online and soon the boy — Tommy — begins asking for photos and personal details. He eventually admits he’s not as young as he says he is, but still he’s stringing her along.

The scenario, which reaches its terrifying peak in the coming week, was an eye-opener for Miller.

The young actor, 23, had heard all the horror stories about online grooming and exploitation. She was excited to be a part of a plot that would talk directly to some of her young fans, but with this crime having a profound effect on many victims, she was determined to play it right.

“I knew it was a big problem and I wanted to give it that truth because I know a lot of people watching will have been through something like it and I just hope I portrayed it realistically,” she says.

“I watched a few documentaries of girls who had been through it to find out the way they talked about it,” she says. “I just tried to make it as realistic as possible and bring that naivety to it.”

The terrifying storline has been an eye-opener for actor Courtney Miller, here in a scene from Home And Away.

Home And Away producers were first struck by the prevalence of this global problem and began investigating how they could incorporate it into the show. While researching they came across news about the introduction of Carly’s Law, which gives authorities greater power to intervene in child grooming and exploitation cases.

It is named after Carly Ryan, who in 2007 became the first person murdered as the result of online grooming in Australia. The 15-year-old was lured to her death by a 50-year-old man posing as a teenage boy.

Producers also talked with government agencies such as the eSafety Commissioner to ensure the story being told through Bella was realistic. They hoped the episode would spark a conversation.

“Bella was the perfect character to explore the idea of online grooming given she had no previous exposure to social media conventions,” series producer Lucy Addario says. “It is impossible for parents to monitor every interaction their child is exposed to online so now more than ever it’s important to have an awareness of eSafety and understand the potential danger and risk of faceless interaction.

“Our hope is that this story gives families and friends an avenue to start conversation and that the gravity of Bella’s experience enforces the importance of cyber safety,” she added.

Being able to help young people navigate a potentially dangerous situation such as being played out by her character is important to Miller who is currently studying counselling, having already finished studies in psychology. She also works as a Lifeline volunteer which has put her in contact with vulnerable people who are facing situations such as these and other problems.

Actor Courtney Miller has been thrilled by her character’s gritty storylines. Picture: Julian Andrews

“It is full on,” she says. “Lifeline is probably the best thing that has happened to me because it’s taught me a lot but it’s also helped my acting in knowing how people react. I hope that it will spark conversation and it might affect a few people emotionally, but it will bring it up and people will ask ‘what can I do to help?’ ”

Miller says she has many young fans who don’t fit the “typical blonde” stereotype often portrayed on TV. She says Bella has had a number of story arcs that have pushed the conventional soap opera narrative.

“I feel like I’m the luckiest because my storylines have just been grit after grit after grit and then this one,” she says.

Home And Away, Seven, Monday-Thursday, 7pm