Awareness of online harm has never been more prevalent, and yet as access to online forums increases, how can we keep our kids safe online as they spend more time at home these holidays?

The pressure is mounting for parents, who, with a growing number of platforms for their children to be exposed to, need to stay across all avenues of potential danger, and how their child is using that platform. 

While the pandemic saw a growth in online harm against children due to time spent online and vulnerable to predators, the year’s biggest holiday period offers a similar threat. 

“Today, we are imploring parents to be more attentive. Protecting our most vulnerable is a priority. Young or old,” Crime Stoppers CEO Peter Price AM said. 

It’s a message that Crime Stoppers and the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation are trying to get across, after recent data from Mind the Gap found that 55 per cent of children communicated with someone they first met online, and yet only 34 per cent of parents were aware.

"Just as we put helmets on our kids to ride a bike, we need to keep them safe when they go online – whether they’re watching videos, gaming, or on social networking apps,” eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman said. 

According to eSafety, parents should be watching to see if their child is withdrawn or vague about what they’re doing online, or avoiding their devices when parents are around. 

“Ensure devices are used in open areas of the home, rather than in the bathroom or bedroom, so you’re generally aware of what they’re doing online. Most importantly, co-play and co-view, particularly through interactive online games with strangers,” Commissioner Inman said. 

“The vast majority of covert online grooming and sexual extortion our investigators see is happening behind closed doors, in what might be considered the ‘safety and sanctity’ of one’s home.” 

Younger than advised

According to Act for Kids, children as young as eight-years-old are frequent on social media, despite age requirements of around 13 years or older on most social media platforms. 

“Concerningly, Act for Kids' own research revealed that two-thirds (63%) of parents fail to secure devices with passwords and one in two (55%) allow their children unsupervised access online,” Act for Kids Executive Director Thomas McIntyre said.

While there are several built-in features to block age-inappropriate content depending on platform and device, the Australian Government has opted against forcing platforms to implement age verification technology, fearing a threat to privacy. 

eSafety recommends that parents learn to maximise online safety through parental controls on wi-fi networks, computers, mobile devices, gaming consoles, streaming services and search engines. 

“No parental control tool is 100 per cent effective. Helping your child build good online safety habits is just as important,” eSafety warns.

The campaign extends the responsibility to combat predatory behaviour to everyone online. 

“We are asking the community to be vigilant online. If you see or suspect something related to online child sexual abuse it should be reported immediately so action can be taken.”