Erin Molan reveals online bullying, troll survival guide

TV personality Erin Molan, who experienced hideous online bullying, has partnered with experts to help parents keep their kids safe online. Read their survival guide.

Defiant TV personality Erin Molan is turning her hideous online bullying experience into something good.

“It felt like there was a huge volume of hate directed solely at me,” the Sky News anchor says, after receiving a battery of threats and insults from cowardly keyboard trolls.

“It impacts your confidence, you don’t want to go outside, you think people hate you and your self esteem gets dented severely … I went to some dark places with it.”

But she’s determined to help others triumph over cyber harassment and trolls in a new e-safety documentary, Haters Online: Erin Molan Fights Back.

The one-hour show offers advice on staying safe online, featuring powerful interviews with victims of appalling digital abuse, along with experts in the field.

Erin Molan’s new e-safety documentary will provide tips on how to stay safe online. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

“A powerful lesson I learnt — and it started to hurt less — was that it wasn’t about me … this was something other people went through,” Molan says.

“When you realise those things, it isn’t personal, It’s a reflection of the people behind the keyboard doing this and not a reflection of your ability or worth.”

Hateful social media trolls who anonymously taunt, threaten or urge their victims to take their own lives are both dangerous and pathetic, but they are also part of modern life.

In 2021, cyberbullying of children increased by 69 per cent, while Australian adults reporting online harassment increased by 93 per cent, says eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant.

Our how-to guide will help parents take action against online bullies in order to keep their kids and themselves safe.

HOW TO PROTECT KIDS

Experts say trolling can have a devastating effect on children, following them from the schoolyard to their smartphones and into laptops and tablets at home.

“We know one in five children have been cyberbullied, the peak age tends to be 14, and girls are cyberbullied more than boys,” Grant says.

While it can be difficult for adults to keep up with all the latest platforms, apps and games, there are things parents can do to help.

Grant says talking to your kids about online safety and getting involved in their online world through co-view and co-play is a great place to start.

“Try to cultivate a safe space for honest conversations with kids about their use of technology. This makes it more likely they will trust you enough to come to you for help,” she says.

KnowBe4 security awareness advocate Jacqueline Jayne.

Molan says: “The more you talk, the more open you can be with your child. And the more comfortable they are, the safer they are going to be.”

Brushing up on digital lingo is a must, according to KnowBe4 security awareness advocate Jacqueline Jayne.

“If you don’t know what ‘flaming’, ‘outing’, ‘trolling’ or ‘doxing’ mean, it’s time to educate yourself and become aware of the facts and dangers for yourself and the kids,” she says.

KEEPING ADULTS SAFE

Technology commentator Geoff Quattromani urges adults to be prepared to block and avoid engaging in abusive conversations online.

“Use the report function on social media platforms to hold people accountable for their actions and avoid sharing details that could put your safety at risk,” he says. “If you are immediately under threat, call the police.”

If the service or platform does not help you within 48 hours, Grant says “eSafety can direct them to remove it through our Adult Cyber Abuse scheme.”

“The most important thing to remember is that it is not your fault – you are not alone and there is help available,” she says.

Technology commentator Geoff Quattromani.

HOW TO START A CONVERSATION WITH KIDS

Jayne provides her top conversation starters and questions to ask kids.

Gamer kids

● Ask them what games they are playing and take notes.

● Do some research of those games.

● Let them know you are interested in what they are doing online.

● Ask to watch them play their games online.

● You could also ask them to teach you how to play (fake it till you make it).

● Keep the conversation going – talk about the good, bad and ugly of gaming.

● Find out if they can ‘pause’ the game they are playing – I promise you this will avoid future arguments.

Social media kids

● Ask them what social media they are using.

● Ask them what they use them for.

● Do some research on those platforms.

● Understand the privacy elements of the platforms.

● Depending on their age (and in my opinion), at least one parent or caregiver must be a ‘friend’ on all social media platforms the kids are on with the promise that you will not engage with any of their conversations or embarrass them.

● Bring up an article you read about a social media platform and ask them their experience or thoughts about it.

MANAGE CYBERBULLIES

Kids

● Collect evidence by taking screen shots.

● Report abuse to the platform it occurred on.

● Resist retaliating, and limit contact using muting or blocking tools.

● Don’t suffer in silence, talk to friends or family about what’s happening online.

● Report to eSafety if the platform won’t remove the content. If you feel you are in immediate danger, contact police.

Parents

● Use parental controls in apps and devices to monitor and limit what your child does online.

● Set time limits for using devices during non-school hours.

● Keep your kids in open areas of the home when using their devices.

● Turn on privacy settings to restrict who contacts your child in apps and games.

● Join in with your child’s online activities by co-viewing and co-playing.

Source: eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant

For tips, advice and support or to report online abuse, visit esafety.gov.au

Lifeline 13 11 14 or ­lifeline.org.au, Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800

Haters Online: Erin Molan Fights Back is coming soon on Sky News Australia. Its initial premiere date of September 13 has been postponed as part of program rescheduling around coverage of The Queen’s death.

Originally published as Erin Molan reveals online bullying, troll survival guide