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Tech gadgets are undoubtedly among the most popular gifts landing under Christmas trees around the world this year. With all of these tech gadgets requiring connectivity to apps, platforms and cloud services we must plan to protect young digital users by putting proactive measures in place to keep them safe. If drones, VR headsets, gaming consoles and smart phones/devices are on your youngster's wish list, it's important to get on the front foot when it comes to tech gift cyber safety. PLAN, PROTECT & PREVENT Plan:
Protect: Most 'smart' tech based gifts require alignment and connection with a mobile phone or tablet App/Application. All of which will require users to create a User Profile and agree to the company's terms of service. Every App has its own set of service policies. We understand terms and conditions can be wordy and long and it is natural to want to move on quickly to the fun stuff. When scanning terms and conditions we recommend looking out for the following key elements:
Prevent:
TIP: Establishing an open and trusting relationship with your children about their digital habits enables you to have greater insight into their online behaviours and opportunities to prevent issues from occurring. A child or teen is less likely to go to a parent if they believe they will banned from future use of a device, game or platform... So be strategic in how you respond when a child does come to you with a challenge or problem. Planning, prevention and protection are a critical combination for ensuring this trust between guardians and children is developed and maintained. Safe Profiles: When creating online profiles we recommend you:
Popular Tech Gadget Gifts this year:1. DRONES  Amongst other things, drones can take in some awesome views and share these directly to your smartphone as an image or video. With their long range GPS, WiFi connection and built in cameras, professional (and amateur) photographers are now hitting the skies to take some incredibly creative photos. Drones are becoming social! Like most technologies and interest groups, social networking has now become a big player in the drone game. When you connect your Drone to its associated mobile/tablet app, it may also connect you to the SkyPixel. A social networking platform for drone photography enthusiasts. You can upload your flight videos and photos for other SkyPixel members to like and comment. They can become your fan, follow you and send direct messages. Be wary of location settings! Like many Drones and associated Apps, The GPS features is a critical element of this technology. With location services turned on, your drone will be able to 'return to home base'. This is a great feature if you're a rookie drone pilot and lose track of your drone mid-flight, however this raises alarm bells for the Cyber Safety Project team when it comes to younger users of this technology - especially when connecting their profile to SkyPixel where users of all ages from around the world can connect with them. 2. Virtual Reality (VR) Headsets VR Headsets fall into two categories, Mobile or Tethered. Tethered VR headsets connect to a device such as a PC or gaming console. Whilst, mobile headsets generally require the use of a smart phone with app connectivity to enjoy the immersive nature of Virtual Reality. As soon as you are required to download an App for immersive VR gaming or simulations you will be required to 'sign up' to the platform. In this case you must be aware of the games and apps your children are downloading, accessing and what information they may be inputting into this platform to gain access to the game or App. As each game or App has it's own set of terms, features and capabilities the Plan, Protect and Prevent strategy must be put in place. PLAN: Ensure your children ask you permission before downloading any app. This will provide you with the time and opportunity to research, play and understand the nature of the game/app, terms of use and the data it may request when signing up. Look out for in-game purchases and ensure you disable this feature. PROTECT: Monitor the use of these immersive games and check for adult themes and levels of violence. PREVENT: Set up a safe profile and review the settings to explore what you can control. 3. Gaming Consoles Create Safe Console Accounts: Stay in control by accessing the game consoles built in parent controls. These enable parents to decide what content their children can access and which functions that they are able to use.
Disable in Game Purchases: We have all heard of the credit card horror stories of young children accidently (or in some cases, knowingly) wracking up a hefty credit card bill through in-app/game purchases. After all, who doesn't want some more 'hay' in that farming app at the click of a button, or to upgrade your avatar skin to obtain additional status in your game? Two key recommendations are:
Understand Online Collaboration Features: Connecting with strangers online doesn't just happen on Social Media platforms, the gaming world is hyperconnected and highly collaborative. If your children play gaming consoles there is no doubt that they will have access to games that allow them to play, chat and even stream live video with other connected players from all over the world.
Set game play limits and life balance: Earlier this year, the World Health Organisation officially recognised gaming addiction as a mental health condition. Similar to gambling mechanisms, popular games such as Fortnite make use of bright colours, sounds and reward systems design to keep players within the game. This method is called operant conditioning, where high level rewards occur randomly encouraging players to 'just play one more round' with the chance of a big reward. Not all children will become addicted to gaming, however according to our 2018 Digital Habits Survey, 83% of parents do worry about time spend on gaming and find it challenging to manage screen time and game play. A few things to consider when managing game play and strategies to assist your children with building skills to self-regulate for a healthier balance of daily activity:
4. Smart Phones
Mobile devices including Smart Phones and tablets are the portal to Social Networking and web browsing whereby young children have access to the world in their pocket. If a mobile phone or connected tablet is on this years present list here are some important steps you'll need to take to get it right from the start. Disable Device Location Settings:
Discuss Posting Protocols:
Monitor:
Access Parental Controls: Here at the Cyber Safety Project we are all for educating young people with safe practices and understanding the importance of safety precautions. There are however some great technologies available to parents to provide peace of mind when it comes to device use and monitoring what they children are exposed to. You may wish to explore software tools such as Family Zone or the new inbuild Family Monitoring features on the latest iOS update (for iPhone). 5. Smart TOYS
Artificial intelligence is absolutely everywhere! Kitchen appliances, smart TVs, smartphones, in our cars... it was only a matter of time before AI was integrated into children’s toys. The growth in the market of toys with integrated artificial intelligent has resulted in these tools becoming more affordable and hitting Christmas stockings all over the country.
A smart toy is a toy that has a degree of artificial intelligence within it. These toys have the ability to learn and adjust the way it interacts with it's user. Using pre-programmed patterns (algorithms) these toys react to the user's actions and The levels of intelligences within these smart toys does vary greatly however AI features include voice recognition, smartphone apps and touch sensors that allow the user and the toys to interact. One of the toys that is gaining popularity along with security, ethical and privacy concerns is Hello Barbie. Talking toys are not new, however Barbie now listens and responds to what the user says. The use of the inbuilt a microphone, sophisticated electronics and Wi-Fi connection will compute this information and make decisions about how it will respond to it's user, simulating a more realistic conversation. Hello Barbie uses similar technology to Siri, Cortana, Alexa other personal digital assistants. This ability to respond to a child’s conversation through artificial intelligence has raised privacy and ethical concerns. With the ability for “Hello Barbie” to uniquely interact with users and even have and hold conversations, play games, share stories, and tell jokes “Hello Barbie” is being sold as a "real" friend to children. This raised the question about how this may influence a young person's social behaviour. Beyond the social implications of the doll, the capabilities of the recording technology also raises privacy issues. Smart toys also often have location-tracking features, a feature that can be compromised when connected to public WiFi networks could give then give you child’s whereabouts to people who should not have that information. Many of the other smart toys on the market today, such as the popular Hot Wheels Brand also have accompanying software applications. These applications provide additional features to make the toy more fun or interactive. Some toys may not work without these apps and WiFi enabled which opens up opportunities for data to be collected about a user's game play. Be sure to thoroughly review an Apps Terms & Conditions as well as consider how your child's information is being collected if required to create a users account or profile alongside the use of this technology. So, you're considering putting a AI gift under the tree this year? PLAN:
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 It is frustrating to think that bullying continues to be a problem amongst young people today. Being teased and bullied online can be particularly hurtful to a child, who may feel as if there is no escape from the relentless ridicule. While we all know bullying is exists, do you know how to tell if your child is a target of cyber bullying? Statistics show that 1 in 5 young people under the age of 18 reported experiencing online bullying. Most children that experience bullying online are afraid or hesitant to tell anybody about their experience as a result of the fear that has been created such as deflated sense of self-worth or embarrassment, lack of confidence or do not feel that those around them can relate to how they are feeling. What should I be looking out for? The signs of online bullying are often similar to that of offline bullying. Like offline bullying, cyber bullying is defined as ongoing and deliberate hurtful or aggressive behaviour that occurs during time spent online. There is no exactness as to how a child may react if they are being cyber bullied. However, for a child experiencing cyber bullying there are some signs you may start to observe, particularly when they are using their connected technology. You may see a child demonstrate any one of the following behaviours:
I think my child may be experiencing bullying online, what can I do? If you are concerned that your child may be experiencing online bullying here are some suggested intervention strategies: 1. Start by talking. While getting all the details may seem like a good idea, your child may not feel entirely comfortable disclosing everything to you. In fact, your questions may feel like an interrogation. Instead, start by talking about your own online experiences, weaving in the good and the bad. It may seem strange or 'out of the blue' to hear you talking about technology in this way, so the earlier these conversations begin in your household, the more normalised conversations about this topic will become. It's also a good idea to regularly remind your children that 'there is nothing you could ever do that I wouldn't forgive', 'We all make mistakes and I am here to help you make things right', 'No matter what happens, I am always here to help'. 2. Discuss help seeking strategies. Whilst we would all hope that our children come to us as the first point of call, for many children the thought of telling a parent is 'out of the question' for fear of technology being banned or getting into trouble. Help your child identify three trusted people (other than you) in their life that they could turn to for help when things are going wrong or they aren't sure what to do. This may be a grandparent, sibling, cousin, Aunt or Uncle or a teacher at school. Also ensure your children know how to access the kids helpline. 3. Document and report misconduct. Should you find material online that you believe is inappropriate conduct an involves your child, take a screenshot of the activity as evidence. There are laws about cyber bullying that you and your children should be aware of. When reporting serious cases of bullying, the police will require access to social media accounts as well as evidence. If you aren't sure if you should report cyber bullying, check out this resource from the eSafety Commissioner. Social Networking applications are taking greater responsibility for cyber bullying and inappropriate content appearing on their platforms. Most Social Networking applications have a reporting system in place aimed at flagging inappropriate content and abusive behaviour. Talk about these features and ensure your children know that when using these features they remain anonymous. 4. Limit online access. If you start to see a behavioural shifts around the time your child is using connected technology such as; anger, anxiety or signs of depression, you may want to limit their access. Set clear rules and expectations that promote appropriate screen time use, including help seeking strategies when problems or uncomfortable situations arise. Many applications have great parental controls that can be helpful in monitoring your child's digital use including the use of screen time analytics through Apple Family Sharing or Google Family Link. 5. Foster positive online protocols. One of the best ways to prevent cyber bullying is to make sure that your children clearly understand what cyber bullying is and how to identify it. They must know that bullying is not tolerated in either offline or online spaces. Make sure they understand that they too must respect others online, reducing the likelihood of them becoming a target when they are conducting kind, friendly and respectful dialogue themselves. Another important step is to ensure your children make use of Privacy Settings within their apps or accounts. There are often settings that allow you to block specific users or turning on features such as 'hide offensive comments'. 6. Promote kindness and positive in these places Online communities, whether that be within games or social networks are regulated by those who participate [your children]. They are the creators of their online communities and set the tone for the environments in which they engage. Through gaming and social media we are regularly hearing of toxic, inappropriate and harmful dialogue. It's important that young people are calling out, blocking and reporting behaviour that they don't feel aligns with their own values or the terms and conditions set out by the digital platform. Help your child to promote and encourage kind behaviour towards their friends and make healthy choices when it comes to who they choose to engage with in online spaces. 7. Get your child actively engaged offline. Help your child discover and establish positive friendships through offline settings such as engaging with sport, hobbies or extra curricular activities. Through a child's formative years, these face to face relationship offer positive offline experiences for children and allow for the development of authentic and life long friendships to flourish. Having offline friends can create an important support network and providing your children with someone to turn to when things go wrong for them online. Preventing cyber bullying may feel like an impossible feat, but by taking small actions, advocating and building awareness are our frontline defence against this social phenomenon. Understanding and talking about online bullying must become a normalised conversation in every household. If bullying has occurred, parents must be careful not to react with anger or take action without consulting their child. Young people often hide bullying from parents because they fear a parent will make things worse. At school or at home we can promote positive values and teach our children the actions they can take to become UPSTANDERS in both online and offline settings. An Online Upstander is someone who is willing to take action to support a person being targeted by cyber bullying through standing up for them, telling a teacher or other adult, reporting inappropriate conduct or simply reaching out to a victim to ask if they are okay. Let’s continue to create a movement of Online Upstanders and create the positive online communities that we want!   Fake News! A term that quickly became a part of the vernacular of most citizens, in large part thanks to the current President of the United States. So, what is Fake News? Fake news is exactly what it sounds like. It’s an article that may look just like any other news article… except it isn’t true. With most of us choosing to get our news from a variety of digital newsfeeds such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter many people can’t tell the difference between what is real news or fake. Therefore it's crucial that all of us (especially young people) -- learn to decode what we read online to accurately assess its validity. So, here is the 5 ways to help you, your children and students decode what is real and what is fake and help to truly separate fact from fiction. 1. Be critical! Don't just take what you read for it's face value. It is important to ask yourself questions when you come across a “piece of news” to determine whether it is real, exaggerated or fake. · Who has made this? · Who is the target audience? · Who paid for this? Or, who is getting paid if you click on this? · Who might benefit or be harmed by this message? · What is left out of this message that might be important? · Is this credible (and what makes you think that)? By looking at a piece of “news” and asking these questions it will quickly become clear if the story is real or fake. Check whether the story has been picked up by credible news publishers. Stories from organisations like ABC and The Australian will have checked and verified their sources beforehand. If the you are reading is not from a well-known source, this is cause to be cautious. 2. Don't believe everything you read! More so than ever our own understanding of media and the role it plays in informing us has unfortunately been muddied through the privatisation of “breaking news”. We must draw upon our ability to comprehend and think critically [also know as literacy skills] as we navigate mainstream media. This requires digital citizens to develop critical skills such as conceptional understanding and knowledge of media literacy. All in all, common sense will prevail but it takes practise to develop these digital smarts. If a story sounds unbelievable, it probably is.  3. Are they fishing for click-bait? We have all done it. We are checking our digital news-feeds and we come across a post (often a sponsored posted) that sparks some curiosity around something you are interested in, celebrity gossip, humour or even current events by using an enticing title. The basic concept of ‘click-bait’ is to use a melodramatic and enticing title for an online article to manipulate and hook people into clicking the link and reading the content. “Man Hugs a Tiger… You won’t believe what happens next” and “90% of people can’t solve this riddle? Can you?” or perhaps give just the right amount of information to leave you wanting more.... such as “15 Tweets that prove NBA star Lebron James is a cheat”. To avoid begin hooked by click-bait -be vigilante, ask yourself "is the headline too funny, too positive, too scary, to unbelievable?". Work with young people to understand often, the motivation for “fake news” sites create pathways to advertising material. 4. Have your emotions been triggered? Check your emotions. Click-bait and fake news strive to pull you in by trying to get an extreme reaction. If the news you're reading makes you angry, outraged or even laugh, it could be a sign that you're being played and therefore it is fake news. Check multiple sources before trusting that the story is real. Creditable news outlets and their stories are ones that may trigger an emotional response, but, these outlets are motivated by truth and facts more than praying on your emotions to obtain readership. An example of a headline designed to trigger fear, which may lead to people panicing and on-sharing:  5. Is it a joke? Satirical sites are extremely popular online. These often share similar format and are deliberately designed to look the same as credible news and media outlets. Take the example below, it look likes like most newspapers you would purchase with the subtle difference of humorous stories with little to no facts. If it’s known for parodies or creating funny stories, then it is probably classified as fake news. This doesn’t mean that it won’t be entertaining, just that it isn’t factual and real.  Fake news is everywhere and is the reality of our modern media. Learning to identify fake and exaggerated news is an important life skill. Have a go at this choose your own adventure game, which challenges players to make their own decisions on which sources, political claims, social media comments and pictures should be trusted as you contribute to the day's news output. It's perfect to play with your class of students or as a family.
#cybersafetyproject  The little yellow icon with a cute white ghost icon [aka Snapchat] was released in 2011 and has transformed how we interact across many of the big social media players today. The features that Snapchat have slowly introduced have been picked up by Instagram and Facebook such as Snap Stories, photo filters and augmented reality tools. Its rise to popularity was due to it's simple technology where users could send a single photo (Snap) that existed for 1 to 10 seconds. This theoretically disappears after being viewed. As we have learned everything can be permanent. Today Snapchat delivers on all aspects of a social networking and has now become social platform of choice for many young teens. Snapchat's strategy to lour users to the platform (of which most have been carefully designed to acquire the attention) have been created to promote regular use and the need for users to return to the app on a regular basis. After all this is how Snapchat makes their money - through users viewing advertising material. Here we take you through FIVE must know features that have established Snapchat as the market leader of social networking around the world. STREAKS Snap streaks or "streaks" has turned Snapchat into a game and is generated 'social currency' between two individual users mounting pressure as user pair streak scores continues to grow on a daily basis. The premise of a Snapchat streak is simple, you and a friend each snap each other back once a day within a twenty-four hour period. After three days of back and forth snapping, you’ll receive a small flame icon, along with a new number 3 next to that friend. This represents three days of 'snapping' back and forth between users. Your Snapchat streak will continue to increase as you return to the app daily to manager your streaks and ensure you continue the streak with each of your friends. Many adolescents and young users of Snapchat have become obsessed with maintaining their Snapchat streaks. With some users taking to the online world to boost of there highest streak (1400 is the highest we have heard). A lapse in a streak can be equivalent to breaking a friendship and the higher the snap streak gets the greater the pressure is to keep it going. The growing concern here is the culture developing which passively pressures users to remain active users - daily.  YOLO YOLO is an anonymous messaging/anonymous questioning app that can be connected a your Snapchat account. The key issue with Yolo is anonymity. With Yolo App becoming appealing to teen, it provides a platform for them to ask questions they would normally be too embarrassed to ask. The anonymity aspect encourages people to ask questions they might not normally ask face to face and for the most part, this to have been used positively. Friends can answer the question anonymously and vice versa. This is where banta and humour is suppose to ensue, however the lack of accountability and total anonymity has also promoted misuse of this feature with many users on the receiving end of hurtful or inappropriate questions. Our core part of our work here at the Cyber Safety Project has been through request for support for school age students to understand, manage and bounce back from issues created by Yolo users.  Snap Maps When Snapchat released its in app, real time location tracker there were immediate concerns raised among the safety and privacy of it's users. Snap Maps, plots a user's exactly location onto a map every time they are using the platform. This means friends and other Snapchatters can see where they are and even who they are with. The good news is, Snapchatters can choose exactly who can see their, if at all, and can change this setting at any time. Activate Ghost Mode: Allowing users to see where their friends are in real time is a very appealing feature for teens. Snap Maps is incredibly accurate showing the exact location on an interactive map. As parents of young users of Snapchat and therefore Snap Maps there are a few preventative measures we recommend reviewing and putting into action:
 Quick ADD Quick Add on Snapchat is similar to the suggested friends feature on Facebook, whereby Snapchat suggests 'friends' you might like to add, based on friends of friends. This means you appear as a suggested friend to other people. This is a great strategy for increasing your Snapchat friendship pool very quickly - which is obviously a red flag for us here at the Cyber Safety Project. Unfortunately, Quick Add with Snapchat means that if users do not understand this feature, they may be exposing themselves to people they don't know or unwanted friendship requests. To update your Quick Add settings click on the cog wheel top right hand corner, scroll down to the "Who Can" section, and tap ‘See Me in Quick Add’. On the Quick Add screen, turn the Show me in ‘Quick Add option off’.  Discover Discover allows you to explore channels from established publishers who curate their own content. Snapchat discover is all about keeping you up-to-date on current events, pop culture, and more. Long gone are the days of Snapchat being used just to connect you and your friends. Now you can get the lowdown on breaking news, events, and celeb gossip at your fingertips. On the Discover screen you can watch your friends’ Snapchat Stories, Publish your own Stories, Shows, and Our Stories. Given the popularity of Snapchat, appearing in the Discover section can mean world wide exposure and therefore the motivation to submit content to Our Story on Snapchat Discover. Given the Snapchat Discover is completely user generated, it is important to understand that if you are allowing your young people at home use Snapchat, they may be exposed to content, images and video material that is inappropriate or may not align with your values. If you see something inappropriate on Snapchat Discover or Snapchat Our Story, report it! To report a Story on Discover… > Press and hold the Snapchat that’s inappropriate > Tap the white flag icon to report to alert Snapchat to this content  Empowering the user to report is not just a feature on Snapchat. It's across all social media and online gaming networks. Creating safe communities online starts with the users who engage within it. We must encourage everyone in our online community to call out, moderate and report any behaviour that we don't want to see (including bullying). We have the power to collectively create the online world we want.
#cybersafetyproject  TikTok! First a smash hit song by Kesha! Now a extremely popular social networking application that has become a global sensation. If you are a parent of a young person you will have undoubtedly heard of TikTok. Once known as Musical.ly, this application was acquired by a Chinese technology company in 2017, consequently migrating all profiles, videos and user details from Music.ly over to TikTok servers located in China.
To highlight it's popularity, TikTok hit 1 BILLION downloads in 2018! ONE BILLION DOWNLOADS! These stats have seen TikTok out perform the traditional big players; Snapchat and Instagram. What is TikTok and how does it work? TikTok is a video-sharing app that allows users to create and share 15-second videos, on any topic. Literally ANYTHING! To sign up for TikTok, you require an email address, a phone number or an existing Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Google account. TikTok's terms of service stipulated users must be 13+ years of age. As Cyber Safety Presenters we often chat with surprised parents/guardians who are completely unaware that TikTok is a social networking platform. The features that exist within TikTok allow opportunities for users to connect, share, comment and message other users within the platform directly. When signing up for TikTok, a user's account is set to public by default, meaning anyone can see your videos, send you direct messages to chat and access location information. Like any social networking application, a young person using this service should ensure they have a private account. Private accounts allow you to have more control over who can see you, however on TikTok even a private accounts still allow strangers to send friend requests and directly message all users within the platform. To make your TikTok account private, users need to access their profile page and select the ellipsis (…) icon in the top-right corner. Select ‘Privacy’ and ‘Safety’. There, select ‘Private Account’. You can also select who can send you comments and direct messages, and who can do a duet with you. Using the ‘Friends’ setting or turning those features off completely limits contact with strangers. While these settings are helpful it is still important to monitor your child’s account and ensure that they are following accounts that you think are appropriate for their age group. What will your children see on TikTok? The videos created by users are generally fifteen seconds long and replay in a continuous loop. These user generated videos vary from recording incredible talents, participating in viral campaigns, singing songs to the current concerning popular trend of showcasing dangerous stunts in hope of going 'viral' (in other words spreading quickly with thousands of views). It's important to understand that all social networking sites and applications are full of publicly viewable (user generated) content. TikTok is not immune to malintent users exploiting this site publishing inappropriate material. Users can explore and search for videos and profiles through the 'Discover' section within the platform. The 'Discover' or 'Search' function on any social media site is essentially an open search engine where users can view unfiltered material produced by all of it's users. This can often result in underage children being exposed to inappropriate or harmful content such as extreme behaviours, drug and alcohol references, sexual material and course language. What is the appeal of TikTok? TikTok and its functionality has a lot of appeal to young digital users. What young person doesn't love recording themselves singing and dancing along to their favourite song and artist, sharing a hidden talent or even doing something outrageously silly in a 15 second clip!? The short time investment of the TikTok content sees users hooked in consuming a lot of video content in what is fast becoming known as falling into a "social networking hole". How is TikTok taking responsibility for the safety of their users? Social pressure to comply with safer standards, like Instagram, TikTok promotes kindness reminding users to “say something nice” when prompting comments. TikTok also includes a Digital Wellbeing feature to help limit time spent on the app and also limit the appearance of videos that may be inappropriate. To turn these features on, users need to select the settings ellipsis (…) at the top right of your user profile. Then select ‘Digital Wellbeing’. The settings that this feature enable are protected by a four-digit code so the young users can't turn them off on their own. Parents can choose to turn on ‘Screen Time Management’ limiting users to two hours (still very high) on the app per day, and ‘Restricted Mode’ blocking some inappropriate or flagged content from appearing. The Final Word One of the biggest red flags that comes with an application like TikTok is the accessibility that users have to other users. Any time a social networking application becomes popular it becomes a platform for online predators to exploit. Given that the default setting of TikTok is public, the app has quickly become another place for online groomers and predators to create fake accounts and from there contact vulnerable young users. We recommend downloading any app you are considering allowing your children to use and exploring the functionality for yourself before allowing them to use the technology. Check out the first few available videos that appear when you use the ‘Discover’ section to search for content to see what content is discoverable. You will quickly realise the prevalent and vastly inappropriate style of videos that young people are able to view. Remember that any social media platform can be a source of cyberbullying and a ground for sexual predators. TikTok, like any other app, can present such dangers to young children. Always monitor their account and speak to them regularly how they are using these platforms, what they see and who they are connecting with online. Stay informed, up to date and regularly talk to your kids about online life!  Let’s talk NUDES. Sexting or sending and receiving nudes isn't new. This type of behaviour has been around in one form or another for a long time, but in recent years the access to connected technology, new social networking platforms and peer pressure is seeing 'nudes' as becoming part of the ever day life of digital teens. Sending nudes can often lead to devastating outcomes so let's break it down.
According to an eSafety Commissioner survey, 9 out of 10 teens (14-17 years of age) thought that sexting happened among their peers and around 4 in 10 reported that it either happened often, or all the time. Of the teens surveyed nearly 1 in 3 young people aged 14-17 years in Australia had some experience with sexting. This included sending, being asked and asking, sharing or showing nude or nearly nude images or videos. The statistics indicate that if young people aren't being asked to send these explicit images then it is something that is certainly being spoken about within their peer groups. Additionally, the social pressures to send nudes can also intensify the ongoing battle with self-image and self-esteem. In cases where the images have been seen by others (beyond the intended person) the consequences can be quite severe in terms of possible criminal prosecution, trouble with school authorities or serious social and psychological consequences including increased bullying, social isolation, shaming and severe anxiety, fear and depression. Although the personal ramifications and social implications that come from sexting are regularly emphasized to young people, it is an imperative for them to be aware of the serious laws (which have recently changed) that can implicate minors that send, receive and possess explicit images of other minors. Victorian Legal Aid make the legislation related to sexting and what is deemed child pornography very clear, “Sexting is a crime if you intentionally distribute an intimate image of a person under 18 to others, even if they agree to the sext message being sent. You could also be charged by police with child pornography offences.” Threatening to send an intimate image of a person to others, if the person believes that you will carry out the threat, may also be a criminal offence. While it can seem confronting, that fact that teenagers today are sharing these explicit images with one another means the term child pornography needs to be addressed. Victorian Legal Aid highlights that under Commonwealth law you could be charged with child pornography offences if you take, send, receive, make available, possess or store sexual or intimate photos of someone who is under 18 or who looks or represents someone under 18. Under these laws, there are serious consequences if you get caught. To learn more please access the Legal Aid Website. https://www.legalaid.vic.gov.au/find-legal-answers/sex-and-law/sexting-and-child-pornography So with all this information what is our advice on this very real and sensitive topic. The reality around sexting and sending nudes is very real. As responsible adults we can’t shy away from this important conversation. Asking questions about how your children feel and what they know can help you to gauge your child's level of knowledge and keeps you informed to guide and educate them about the risks and dangers of this very difficult space.
Enforce boundaries. Responsible use of technology is learnt, not simply acquired. Young digital citizens need guidance and boundaries. Here are our non negotiables when it come to the use of technology in the home. You home digital device police should include the following (no exceptions):
Keep your eyes peeled. There are some cheeky and deceitful applications that can be downloaded to store photos in other 'secret' folders or vaults. Applications like Fake Calculator and Photo Vault store images off the users Camera Roll into these 'hidden' folders make them harder find and use cloud/server storage so the images can be removed from the phone with the hope that explicit images cant be found. Be sure to check all apps on your children's phones, even the icons that look like native apps like the Calculator, Weather or Notes apps - they could be a hidden/secret vault.  To remember complex passwords today you basically need a masters degree! For a password to be truly strong and secure it must include a range of letters, numbers, symbols as well as upper and lower case letters. Let's be honest a random complex password is basically impossible to remember without writing it down. According to a Telesign consumer report, data breaches and account hacks are becoming a regular occurrence for digital citizens, with 2 in 5 people having had an account hacked or password stolen. Whilst there are many new security tools to make accessing our devices and accounts easier and secure, such as facial recognition and fingerprint technologies, ‘password’ and pin number security is still the most common way for digital users to access their online accounts and profiles.
The Passphrase Here’s an idea… Rather than using a word or a set of completely random letters, numbers AND symbols that are seemingly impossible to remember, try using a passphrase. A passphrase is a clever trick to create a set of what may appear to be random letters. To design a passphrase, think of a phrase or sentence that you will be able to remember. Next use the first letters of each word from your memorable sentence or phrase to create a unique passphrase. Let's try this out... "Nobody will ever be able to hack into my Xbox with this passphrase” = nwebathimxwtp Whilst this may look complicated, lowercase letters on their own are still susceptible to hacking, particularly software programs design to process 1000s of password combinations per second. So, next we need to add some extra complexity. Review your sentence and see if you can manipulate or transform some of the letters into numbers or symbols. It’s also a good idea to make some of the letters into capital letters too. By doing this you will accelerate your password design skills tenfold. Passphrase Sentence: "Nobody will ever be able to hack into my Xbox with this passphrase”” Letters, Numbers and Symbols Passphrase: Nw3b4th!mXwtp If you look at the example Nw3b4th!mXwtp you will notice the symbols align with the letters used to create the passphrase. In this example you can see that we substituted some of the letters with 'like shaped' numbers. - Substituting the ‘E’ for a ‘3’ - Substituting the ‘A’ for a ‘4’ - Substituting the ‘i’ for a ‘!’ This password now contains 13 characters (2 capitals letters, 8 lower case letters, 2 numbers and 1 symbols) and still aligns with my memorable sentence that ill be using to remember the password. The added benefit of a Passphrase is that you can customise the sentence any way you like to make sure it is in line with any website or online profile specifications. Have a go at creating a sample passphrase and test out its strength by visiting the “How Secure is my Password” website. https://howsecureismypassword.net/ *note never ever use your real password in this tool – just to be safe! Dos and Don’ts when creating Password When creating a password there are some things that you should and shouldn’t do to protect your personal devices and online profiles/accounts: DO: Have a 12-character minimum – at the very minimum 12 character is acceptable, ideally even longer is better. DO: Includes numbers, symbols, lower case and uppercase letters – the greater the mix the harder it is to crack. DON’T: Make sure it is NOT a word that can be found in the dictionary – never use common words or combinations of words. Words are patterns in language and patterns reduce the strength of your passwords. DON’T: Never rely on the one basic and predictable substitution. Using symbols is very important, but don’t just use the symbol @ as a replacement for the letter a or number 5 to replace the letter within a ‘word’. It’s too obvious. Got multiple accounts? Have multiple passphrases When logging into any online account, it is extremely important to be so cautious of the domino effect that may occur if using one single password/passphrase across all of your accounts. If one of your accounts is compromised, this will put your other online accounts at risk. Having the same password/passphrase across all of your accounts provides an open door for hackers who will browse your history and view other platforms or sites you have been using to obtain a range of our personal information. New season is a great time to design a new set of passphrases Developing long and strong access codes is now just an important part of online life, but we must not set and forget! Regularly updating our passwords/passphrases minimises the chances of our online accounts being compromised. Use the seasons of the year or set a reminder in your phone every few months alerting you to visit your frequented online accounts and update/change your passwords. A proactive password strategy is key to preventing cybercrime. The “it won’t happen to me’ does not cut it!  EVERY TIME we visit a school we ask the students 'what do you do online?', without fail we hear "I play Roblox". Targeted to young digital users (13 and under) Roblox is a maker style, collaborative online game platform available on Smartphones, PC, tablets and Xbox. The true appeal of Roblox is not fancy graphics. It is the vast nature of how users can play, explore and create with freedom. Players can enjoy the challenge of navigating mazes and obstacles and simulating real life role play. Roblox allows its own users to create and generate their own games with their online game creation tool and have these published on the site for other Roblox users to play. Young users of Roblox have reported that sometimes these games are scary or have violent themes. They often share insights that they regularly play with people they do not know. Like all online games today, there are features that parents/guardians must be aware of, as well as some safety features within the settings that can protect young Roblox players. Friend Requests The core purpose of Roblox is for players to roam, interact and make friends with other users. This is done by exploring the online world and talking with other players within the chat feature. Similar to any online multiplayer game, there is little control over the types of people or age limits of those playing the game. You do have the ability to delete friends by clicking on the friends menu, and the selecting the profile of the “friend” you want to “de-friend”. Form here you select “Unfriend” from their profile top right. You can restrict online interactions with different players via the Roblox website.
Conversation Starters: - Why should we only play with people we know? - How can you tell if someone is real or a scam bot? - What do you do when an unknown user talks to you?  User Generated Content/Games Players of Roblox can make games for other players to enjoy. This is one of the creative and educational features within of the game. The user created games themselves aren't classified or rated because they aren't apart of the original download. If your children are playing user created games within Roblox, parents need to take additional care. There are some Roblox user generated games that do include intentionally horror themes and violence. Conversation Starters: - What games are you playing on Roblox? - How do you know if these games are created by Roblox or other users? - Have you ever felt scared or worried when playing Roblox - what can you do to make yourself feel safe?  Roblox Parental Control Settings: Roblox provide some very comprehensive parental control settings on the Roblox website along with explicit guidance for parents. https://corp.roblox.com/parents/. A necessary setting that we highly recommend is to set your child’s accounts with the accurate year of birth to ensure appropriate safe-chat mode is activated. Safe-chat mode will be automatically applied for users that are under 13 and which will restrict chat to only those who are 'approved friends'. Please note, specifying the age of your child does not filter the content within games. All player can access all games within Roblox. The Roblox Parental Control Settings are also provided the option for a 'Parent Login' which allows you to oversee the use of your child's Roblox account. To restrict the list of games to a limited list created by the staff at Roblox staff as follows:
Conversation Starters: - Why do you think we (Parent's) need to set up these settings on your game? - Who would you tell if some was going wrong, you feel unsafe or unhappy during or after playing online games? - How can YOU stay safe when you are playing? Chat/Direct Messaging All 'chat' on Roblox is filtered to prevent inappropriate content and personally identifiable information from being visible on the site. Players will have different safety settings and experiences on Roblox, based on the year of birth set on the account. Players aged 12 and younger do have their posts and chats filtered for inappropriate content and behaviour to prevent personal information from being posted. However, players aged 13 and older have the ability to say more words and phrases than younger players, but inappropriate chat and sharing personal information is restricted regardless of age. This filtering system covers all areas of communication on Roblox, public and private. While these in game chat filters do monitor and block inappropriate language from appearing players are using creatives way to bypass such filters. Conversation Starters: - Who do you chat to on Roblox? - How can you tell that it's really your friend? - What shouldn't you ever say or tell when chatting online? In App Purchasing & Advertising Like so many popular games, Roblox is free to play for the most part. However a users can upgrade their characters allow special clothing, weapons and gear that be purchased via Robuxs. This requires real money and children are very keen to use these to 'look' cool or gain advantage within some of the games. The items are advertised in the game directly as well as on the Roblox website. It’s important, therefore, that you have passwords on any credit cards associated with the game account. Conversation Starters: - What are the dangers of providing credit card details online? - How do we decide the difference between needs and wants? - Do you need to spend money in this game to still have fun?  Should I allow my child to play Roblox?
Like any online game there are degrees of concern in how young users may encounter strangers. The above measures do minimise the risk, however the best insight into the game play and potential dangers. To truly understand Roblox or any online game they show interest in playing, is to play it first yourself. We also recommend to set up the account profile with your child, set boundaries within game play and utilises the Parental Controls for what they are designed for. Modelling to them that managing our settings and using filtering systems on any online platform is a core lesson of digital citizenship, and who better than you to model this to them. Our final tips for Parent whose children are playing, or show interest in playing Roblox is to:
The power is in your hands with safety features just a few clicks away! All social media sites, gaming platforms/consoles and streaming services provide filters and controls to put privacy and safety measures in your hands, you just need to know what to look out for... We have compiled some steps for how to set the privacy settings on some of the larger (current) gaming and social networking platforms. We strongly recommend investing in ten minutes to review the settings and controls with your children to teach them about this safe practice and digital life skill. While this list is not exhaustive, user settings are part of every app or platform, where you will always find controls and filters to put the power of privacy back in your hands.
 Snap Maps and Ghost Mode: There is a trend amongst young people to openly share their location. Snapchat being one of the most popular platforms features such as Snap Maps publishes your exact location on a map every time you actively use the app. To avoid sharing your location Ghost Mode (found in settings) will need to be turned on hiding your location from your “friends”. How to urn on Ghost Mode: 1. Open the Snapchat camera screen. 2. Use your finger to SWIPE down, this will open Snap Maps . 3. In the top right hand corner select the Settings Wheel (with the ghost on it). 4. Set your preference for ‘Who Can See Me’ and set this to Only Me (Ghost Mode). This will switch on the Ghost Mode setting. Whilst in settings, you might want to also review what personal information has been provided, who you allow to contact you and customising the notifications feature.
 Automatically hide offensive comments: When this feature is turned on inappropriate, offensive or bullying comments that users may receive are automatically filtered out from posts, stories and live videos: 1. Go to your profile 2. Select Settings. 3. Select Privacy and Security. 4. Tap Comment Controls. 5. Tap next to Hide Offensive Comments to turn it on. Once the offensive comment filter is turned on, you can also turn on a keyword filter to hide comments that contain specific words, phrases and even emojis that you don’t want seen. You can include any terms that you know your child may be being called or targeted with. 1. Go to your profile 2. Tap Settings. 3. Tap Privacy and Security. 4. Tap Comment Controls. 5. Make sure that Hide Offensive Comments is turned on. 6. Tap next to Manual Filter to turn it on. 7. Add any terms or phrase you wish to be filtered out. Gaming Consoles: Gaming Profile/Account are often overlooked as social networking. With many of todays games providing users with the ability to work in team and openly communicate. Users are able to connect and add other users granting access to their statistics and information provided.
Embedded within the privacy settings and the initial account set up on these consoles it is important to accurately enter your child's year of birth as this automatically sets appropriate age restrictions for this age group. Through these settings you are able to choose the apps your child can access, set time limits, control purchases and who can communicate with them during game play. Here are some recommended actions for Xbox ONE and PlayStation 4 to add a layer of security and peace of mind. How to Set up a CHILD account on: PlayStation 4: 1. Sign in or create an adult account. 2. Go to Settings > Parental Controls/Family Management > Family Management > Add > Family Member > Create User. 3. You’ll need a Sony Entertainment network account for them. Adding the date of birth will indicate it's a child account. Xbox ONE: 1. Sign in or create an adult account. 2. Select Settings > Family > Add to family > Add New. 3. You will need a free Microsoft account. 4. Choose from Child or Teen for the account type (different restriction exist depending on which one you select). Here you will also be turn on parental controls. These can easily be changed later. A common feature of online gaming is the ability for strangers to communicate through multiplayer online games. Use the settings within these consoles to ensure that your children aren’t talking to strangers while they play games: PlayStation 4: 1. Go to Settings > Parental Controls/Family Management > Family Management. 2. Select the child’s account. 3. Select Applications/Devices/Network Features. 4. Under 'Network Features' you can stop them communicating with or viewing content created by other players. Xbox ONE: 1. Go to Settings > All Settings > Account > Family and choose the child’s account 2. Select Privacy & Online Safety. Here you can alter who can see your child when they’re online (no-one, friends and everyone) and whether they communicate by voice and text with them. Regardless of the application, game or profile the power is in your hands. Whilst gaming and social networking platforms will not always promote their safety features as default, accessing the settings enable you to review how your information is used and gives you the power to decide ways other users can interact with you. Investing a few minutes of your time to work with your child to set things up right from the start is a powerful teachable moment that will assist with keeping them safer online.  TELLOYMN joins a growing family of anonymous messaging applications including Sarahah, Ask.FM and Line. These platforms have evolved into an online environment rife with insults, inappropriate content and regular online bullying.
Why are anonymous messenger apps so popular among teenagers? They are forums which conceal the users identity and location and enable #TBH (to be honest) commenting. TELLONYM encourages users to "answer anonymous questions and ask others the things you have never dared before" making it appealing for curious teens seeking social acceptance and an opportunity to ask embarrassing questions among their peer groups. To create an account, users are required to provide an email address or a phone contact, as well as acknowledge that they are 17 years old or under. A simple YES or NO response is required with no age verification process. TELLONYM encourages users to link their Snapchat and Instagram profiles, and like these platforms, encourages users to connect and build a following. Anyone can ask you a question and when you respond this becomes public on your profile for all who view your profile to see. It is common to witness negative or inappropriate questioning with replies/responses tending to being defensive, aggressive or offensive in nature. The online anonymity that is present within TELLONYM is cultivating a negative, cruel and hurtful culture among online groups of young users. While users have the ability to block and report harmful behaviour, this will only ever take place after the damaging or bullying behaviour has occurred. We recommend using the following points to stimulate a discussion with your own children or students in your class that highlight key issues surrounding TELLONYM and similar anonymous messaging applications:
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