Useful websites for further reference:

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1 Useful websites for further reference: - Website of the Australian Communications and Media Authority which covers all forms of electronic communication. - Parry Aftab is a US lawyer, child advocate and expert in all aspects of cyber law, best practices, cyberbullying and cyber harassment, cybercrime and privacy. She is also a risk-management and best practices consultant and advisor to the leaders of the internet and digital technology industries. - Alannah and Madeline Foundation's website. Links to the great esmart schools program and other good information. - Website of Melbourne psychologist and bullying expert Evelyn Field. Evelyn also specialises in assisting the adult victims of bullying especially in the workplace. - Established in 2000 by teacher and anti bullying advocate Bill Belsey the site contains good solid information about all bullying including cyber bullying. - Australian Government anti bullying website which has information about all forms of bullying including cyberbullying. Links to the National Safe Schools Framework. - The website of the Child Exploitation & Online Protection Centre UK which is part of the National Crime Agency. World renowned in their work in the field of child online exploitation, the website is one of my favourites. Great information, the best

2 videos and links to other useful sites. Follow on Twitter or Facebook for regular updates. Highly recommended. - Australian Government website for all things digital. Visit here to download the Cybersafety help button and for other useful information including a comprehensive list of apps/websites and the relevant age restrictions. - My website with contact information, fact sheets and much more. Also my contact details and information about cybersafety education sessions and other services that I offer. - Australian Government Cybersafety Website. Information for kids, parents and educators including fact sheets, research data and alerts on latest online issues. Links to online reporting and other useful advice. - The Digizen website provides information for educators, parents, carers, and young people. It is used to strengthen their awareness and understanding of what digital citizenship is. - The website of the Department of Education & Early Childhood Development in Victoria. Of particular note is the cyberbullying portal where you will find useful information including fact sheets and online scenarios of common problems to work through. Click on the Bully Stoppers icon on the main page to get to the correct part of the site. - NetSmartz411 is a parents' and guardians' online resource for answering questions about Internet safety, computers, and the Web. You can search the knowledge base for answers to many questions or if you can't find what you're looking for, you can use the "Ask the Experts" tab to send them a question.

3 - a fact tank of interesting and accurate information about many trends affecting American Families, but of particular interets is the internet or cyberspace research topics. Sign up for regular newsletters. Very relevant to Aussies. - The UK Safer Internet Centre is coordinated by a partnership of three leading organisations; Childnet International, the South West Grid for Learning and the Internet Watch Foundation. Lots of good information and you can sign up for regular newsletters or follow on Twitter - Excellent cybersafety program initially designed to teach children about online predators but now includes other online issues. Whilst there is an Australian version, I prefer the information on the UK site. Be aware however that the Click CEOP reporting function is not valid here. - WiredSafety is the largest and oldest online safety, education, and help group in the world. Originating in 1995 as a group of volunteers rating websites, it now provides one-to-one help, extensive information, and education to cyberspace users of all ages on a myriad of Internet and interactive technology safety, privacy and security issues. Whilst some information is USA specific, most is relevant regardless of where you are from. Founded by leading cybersafety expert and lawyer Parry Aftab (see above). Mental Health & general websites: - The Black Dog Institute is a world leader in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mood disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder. - The Butterfly Foundation represents all people affected by eating disorders and negative body image a person with the illness, their family and their

4 friends. Butterfly operates a national support line, which is staffed by trained counsellors experienced in assisting with eating disorders. - eheadspace is a confidential, free and secure space where young people years or their family can chat, or speak on the phone with a qualified youth mental health professional - Headspace is the National Youth Mental Health Foundation which provides help to young people who are going through a tough time. With 55 centres around Australia, Headspace can help with general & mental health, counselling. - Kids Helpline is Australia's only free, private and confidential, telephone and online counselling service specifically for young people. - A free self help program to teach cognitive behaviour therapy skills to people vulnerable to depression and anxiety. - Orygen Youth Health (OYH) is a world-leading youth mental health organisation based in Melbourne, Australia. OYH has three main components: a specialised youth mental health clinical service; an internationally renowned research centre; and an integrated training and communications program. - Parentline provides support, counselling and parent education for the cost of a local call. Visit this site for the relevant links to the page for your state or territory. It operates 8am - 10pm 7 days per week. - ReachOut.com is Australia s leading online youth mental health service, where you can get the help you need, where and when you need it. - This is the young person specific arm of beyond blue.

5 Online Grooming:- Online grooming is conducted in a similar fashion to grooming in the real world and is often a preliminary step to procuring, where the adult through the words and actions attempt to loosen the child s inhibitions regarding sexual activity or heighten their curiosity by sending pornographic material or talking about sexual matters. The aim of the predator is to eventually meet the child in person for the purposes of sexual activity. The process often starts with the sending to the child of pornographic images so as to normalise the requests, and then moves to requesting the child send naked images of themselves or perform a sex act on a web cam. There are risks for all children who use the Internet or online services. Teenagers are particularly at risk because they often use the computer unsupervised and are more likely than younger children to participate in online discussions about more personal issues such as sexual activity. Young people are naturally curious and will engage in online discussions about things that they would not openly discuss in the real world. Online predators use all forms of technology in order to connect with children. , instant messaging programs, bulletin boards, chat rooms, social media and gaming sites are all used to connect with a child and gain their trust. They are supremely clever and have an ability to connect with those who are vulnerable or who make poor online decisions about whom they allow into their online lives. Children believe that those who are 'nice' online will be the same in the real world and of course this is not always the case. Young people firmly believe that they have the ability to identify a paedophile online and would never talk to one. The reality sadly is very different. Children take risks and can be quite naive. It can be exciting for them to chat to people they did not know before. Many are on social networking sites where they like to share personal information, which provides a fertile hunting ground for those waiting to identify a victim and gain their trust. Online offenders are increasingly adept at targeting those who were making themselves vulnerable online, by not having for example, privacy settings. Talking to your child about these issues is very important so that they know that you are aware of the issues that they may confront in their online lives. Let them know that they can tell you about any problems that they are having or if someone online makes them feel uncomfortable. Let them know it is OK to trust their instincts and if something feels odd or strange then it probably is. 'Good friends' don't make them do things that make them feel uncomfortable and check that your child has all the security settings in place for social networking sites to protect their online privacy. Signs your child could be at risk: - You find pornography on your child's computer. Online Paedophiles will often send pornographic images in order to 'normalise' their requests for pictures Your child is receiving or making calls to numbers that you don't recognize Your child is spending an increasing and / or an excessive amount of time online Your child is receiving unexplained gifts (mobile phones or extra credit vouchers are common) Your child is becoming withdrawn and there is a distinct change in their behaviour Your child is becoming more secretive in what they are doing online and is trying to 'hide' what they are doing online There a people on your child's 'friends' list that you do not know and your child does not really know in the real world. If you are at all concerned about the possibility of your child being a victim please contact your local Police Station for advice and assistance. If you believe your or any child is in immediate danger please phone 000.

6 Cyberbullying Fact Sheet 1 Cyberbullying can be described as any harassment, insults and humiliation that occurs through the electronic mediums such as , mobile phones, social networking sites, instant messaging programs, chat rooms, web-sites and through the playing of online games. Forms of Cyberbullying can include:- Harassing and threatening messages Sending nasty SMS, IM s pictures or prank phone calls Using person s screen name or password to pretend to be them Forwarding others private s, messages, pictures or videos Posting mean or nasty comments or pictures Sending sexually explicit images sexting Intentionally excluding others from an online group What can I do if my child is being cyber bullied? Do not be angry with your child remember that they are the victim and it is someone else doing the wrong thing Praise them for coming to you this is a big step as most children are frightened to tell a parent about cyberbullying Save and store the s, chat logs or SMS s in case of Police investigation Help your child to block and delete the bully from all contact lists Do not respond to nasty s, chats, SMS or comments this is what the bully wants so ignore them. (They will need your help to do this) Use the report abuse button which all websites/applications have. Tell them the problems you are having and they are obligated to investigate. Have some down time without computer or mobile (do not do this as punishment, rather as some peaceful time where they are not being bothered) If unwanted contact continues, consider deleting , msn, hotmail etc and start a new account. Only give your new details to a small list of trusted friends. Get a new phone number if being harassed on your phone. Report the problem to your phone company and insist on a new number for free. Inform your child s school. It is important that they know what is going on so that they can monitor any issues at school. If ongoing report to Police. Each state has laws that prohibit online bullying and stalking. You don t have to put up with it. Copyright Cyber Safety Solutions 2011

7 Sexting: Sending a 'sexy text' or a posting a 'naked selfie'! Sexting, is the act of sending sexually explicit messages or photos electronically, primarily between mobile phones, but can include internet applications such as MSN, , or social networking sites. Once photos are sent, there is no way to get them back, and once in cyberspace, they become a permanent part of a person s digital footprint. This means that they can forever be linked to that person and without doubt will resurface when least expected such as a job interview. Whilst the immediate fallout is usually amongst the persons peer group, school and local community where they can then be used to cyber bully and harass the victim. These images will then most likely fall into the hands or onto the computers of those with the predilection to sexually offend against children and young people. They will also be shared around a local school, community or wider which is very embarrassing and which can lead to further cyberbullying. Safe texting mobile phone use for young people and their parents What many young people and their parents often don t know is that sexting can have serious consequences and lead to bullying, public humiliation and even sexual assault. In most cases involving people under the age of 18 year it is illegal. You could be charged with a criminal offence if: You take a nude, semi-nude, or sexually explicit photo of a person under the age of 18, even if they agree to the photo being taken or you take the photo of yourself. You take a photo or a video of a person under the age of 18 involved in sexual activity or posing in an indecent sexual manner, even if it is of yourself. You are found to have this kind of photo or video on your phone or other device eg: PC, ipod You forward this kind of photo or video onto others There are some things that both young people and parents can do to make sure mobiles are used safely. Safety tips for young people Don t send nude or semi-nude photos of yourself to others and don t forward any sent to you If you receive a sexually explicit text or photo, delete it immediately and don t forward to anyone else. Tell the person who sent it you don t want any more texts like this. If the texts keep coming report the situation to your telco who must act to warn the sender. If this does not work go to the Police.

8 Think before you act - remember that once you ve sent something you can t get it back or control who sees it, and that the photo or message might become public and be available for people to see for many years to come Remember that drinking and/or taking drugs can impact on your ability to make a safe decision ie taking a photo or sending a message you wouldn t normally take/send if you were sober. Be aware of your behaviour in these situations as others have phones too! Think about your future and how you want people to see you a picture taken now can have the potential to damage relationships and your career down the track. Your digital reputation is very important. Don t feel pressured into sending texts you don t feel comfortable with as with any sexual behaviour, you have the right to say no. As a general rule, don t have anything on your phone you would be embarrassed about if your Safety tips for parents Talk to your children about the consequences of sexting, including warning them about the danger of sexual predators Remind them that sending, receiving or forwarding sexual images is illegal, and that respectful behaviour is just as important when using mobile phones Give children clear rules about what they can and can t do with their mobile phone Become familiar with the technology your child is using ie Facebook, Tumblr Twitter, Skype etc and talk to them about privacy/security settings to help protect themselves from bullying/predators. Remember that most phones have instant access to the internet and social networking sites. Encourage your children to talk to you or another adult they trust if they have any problems or concerns around texts they have sent, received or forwarded, and reassure them this won t necessarily mean they will be asked to stop using the technology ** Prepared by Susan McLean Not to be reproduced without permission ** Copyright Cyber Safety Solutions 2012