Children are inside perhaps now more than ever, yet Child Protection Week has never been more crucial. Restricted to stay-at-home orders, children are increasingly turning to their screens to cure their boredom, where the online playground offers a new set of alarming concerns for authorities. 

Kicking off on Sunday 5 September, National Child Protection Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of child abuse prevention. This year, the campaign aims to educate parents online dangers that children could be exposed to. 

“Many parents would not leave their child alone in a playground and we want parents to think the same about the online playground,” said NSW Crime Stoppers CEO. Peter Price.

Shockingly, Western NSW suffers from one of the highest records in the state of intimidation, stalking and harassment of juveniles per capita. 

According to the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOSCAR), 111 instances of child intimidation, stalking or harassment have occurred in the region in 2021 alone. 

Recent research has revealed that 18 per cent of parents said that their child had contact with someone on the internet whom they had not met face to face previously. This was the most in the scheme’s 20-year history and a 90 per cent increase compared to 2019.

Despite this, some parents are unaware of the dangers of online activity, or don’t believe their child to be at risk. 

eSafety, an initiative to promote online safety, has recorded significant increases in reporting of online abuse of children. During 2020, an unprecedented 21,000 public reports were made, majority of which involved child sexual abuse material.  

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant says that parents should be aware, not alarmed.

“We encourage parents and guardians to be actively involved in their children’s online lives. This can include ensuring children use devices in open areas of the home, talking regularly with children about the potential dangers online and helping them build the critical reasoning skills they need to make good decisions,” said Ms Inman Grant. 

National Child Protection Week coincides with the creation of ten additional police positions across NSW, tasked with targeting those who prey on children online.

“Sadly, we’ve seen an increase in predators targeting vulnerable children who are spending additional time at home and online, sometimes unsupervised,” says Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Commander Detective Superintendent Jayne Doherty.

“The best tool to ensure your child’s safety is you. Make sure they know they can tell you about anything that makes them uncomfortable and that any app, game or social media platform where they speak to other people can put them at risk,” Det Supt Doherty said.

Nation Child Protection Week runs annually from Father’s Day each September. For more resources regarding your child’s safety online, visit esafety.gov.au