Federal member for Page Kevin Hogan today said the need to raise awareness of the risks children face online has again been highlighted in the Australian Federal Police’s (AFP) latest ThinkUKnow report.
“With this week being National Child Protection Week, it is important to recognise that online activities online and mobile phone are never 100 per cent safe,” he said.
“As a parent, I know how worrying it can be for parents when it comes to their children’s online activities.
“ThinkUKnow is designed to help educate both parents and children about online safety in a very easy to understand way, and includes sessions on online grooming, exploitations and cyberbullying.”
ThinkUKnow, the AFP’s primary cyber safety education program, has been delivered in partnership with Microsoft Australia, Datacom and the Commonwealth Bank.
Mr Hogan said keeping our children safe is everyone’s responsibility.
Since the ThinkUKnow program began in 2009, 1047 cyber safety presentations have been delivered to nearly 34,000 parents, carers and teachers across Australia.
In 2014/15, 567 trained and accredited volunteers held 213 ThinkUKnow presentations, reaching 6588 adults across Australia. These results are impressive, particularly as 97 per cent of participants agreed the presentations motivated them to take immediate action to protect themselves or their children online.
An additional 2069 youth presentations were delivered to 190,000 students on-the-ground by State and Territory police via Youth Liaison Officers, Crime Prevention Officers and volunteers to ensure law enforcement cyber safety messages are consistent across the country.
“The Federal Government is committed to enhancing community safety and the role of law enforcement in the online environment,” Mr Hogan said.
“That is why we established the Office of the Children’s e-Safety Commissioner, and the Australian Cybercrime Online Reporting Network (ACORN), a national reporting facility for cybercrime.”
A full copy of the ThinkUKnow Corporate Report 2014–15 can be found at www.thinkuknow.org.au/reports.
Further information about ThinkUKnow can be found at www.thinkuknow.org.au
