Parents fear for kids’ online safety

Most kids bullied or abused online turn to their parents for help, but often adults aren’t sure what to do. Here’s how parents can keep their children safe.

Nearly one in three Australian children has a bad experience with a stranger online, a new survey reveals.

But in many cases, it’s a one-off and the kids are confident their parents will help, according to a new report from the eSafety Commissioner.

The Parenting in the Digital Age report, released on Monday, says parents give children as young as six their freedom online, while children aged two to five are more often supervised.

The snapshot of 3068 Australian parents of children aged two to 17 shows 31 per cent of children are bullied or abused online by a classmate, 22 per cent by a friend and 28 per cent by a stranger.

Rayleen Hall has taken steps to safeguard daughter Stephanie’s online life and manage her screen time. Picture: Sarah Matray

In just over half of these cases, the behaviour was not repeated but in one in three cases it happened more than once. The report says 55 per cent of children go to their parents when something bad happens online.

Parents mainly respond with increased monitoring or blocking the person responsible, although many did not feel very confident about their abilities in this area.

ESafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said 95 per cent of parents want more information on online safety.

“Everyone has a role to play in further safeguarding our children online and we are seeking the help of all parents, carers, educators, counsellors and anyone else that has a connection to a child or young person to answer this call,” she said.

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HOW TO PROTECT KIDS ONLINE

Mum Rayleen Hall said it was hard to manage screen time for daughter Stephanie, who was given a phone to communicate on her bike rides to school.

She has enrolled the 10-year-old in a Trinity Kids program that teaches how to manage screen time, particularly before bed.

“It’s one of the hardest jobs as a parent these days, it’s important to remember that this is how their generation communicates — you don’t want them to be ostracised,” Mrs Hall said.

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Visit eSafety.gov.au for tips on keeping children safe online.