Cybersafety in Queensland schools

The Department of Education supports every child and young person in Queensland state schools to learn and engage safely in the digital world. With the rise of technology and increasing access for young people, the below information provides guidance on how the department responds and supports schools, students, parents and the community, in keeping young people safe online.

To help students navigate the digital world, the department has developed a range of online courses resources, including:

• Your Digital Journey—a course for students in Years 3–6
• Enhancing Your Digital Identity—a course for students in Years 7–10
• Cybersafety – Making positive online choices—a course for students in Years 11 and 12
• The Cyber Heroes—a suite of resources for primary school students designed to discuss the importance and power of positive online behaviour.

The below helpful guide provides key messages for students to be mindful of when posting and sharing content online

• Enhance your digital identity—the 7 steps to a positive digital footprint.

Information for parents

To help keep your child safe when they are online, you can:

• put computers in open spaces within your home
• remind your child that content can be posted instantaneously, the downfall is that they can potentially post something without thinking about the ramifications.
• educate your child about appropriate online behaviour and the need for respectful communication with other internet users
• keep an eye on what your child is doing online (both in the home and on any mobile devices they may have access to e.g. phones, music devices and tablets)
• set clear rules about what sites and activities they are allowed to access
• install software to limit their use and monitor/restrict the sites they visit
• discuss a plan with your child about how to address any cybersafety issues that may arise (make sure they know you will be supportive if they mention anything and that they will not get in trouble)
• encourage them to find someone they feel safe talking to, such as yourself, a relative, a teacher or a trusted adult.
• access Online awareness: Information for parents and caregivers (PDF, 726 KB) which provides important information for parents about cybersafety and cyberbullying. It suggests what parents and caregivers could do if their child is the target of, or is responsible for, inappropriate online behaviour.

The eSafety Commissioner also provide a suite of resources, helping Australians to have safer, more positive experiences online. In particular, there is a parent page which provides advice for parents and carers, along with a blogposts page which currently contains information about staying safe online.

As a parent if you identify that your child has been impacted by an online activity or a victim of harmful content then you should report to the eSafety Commissioner via their 'Report online harm' tool. We suggest as part of this reporting process, you inform your school of the incident, so they can assist with providing support.

Social media tips

Social media platforms (such as Facebook) and online games are extremely popular with young people and the usage of these sites is only likely to increase.

Some tips to help your child stay safe while using social media and online games include:

• make sure they never reveal their personal information like, home address, phone number, email address and passwords
• review the age suitability for any sites and apps your child joins or installs
• look at who their contacts and followers are—this will help reduce the risk of them encountering inappropriate people and content
• educate yourself on the issues that children face
• establish an open relationship with your child so they trust you to view their profiles
• reinforce the need for them to keep passwords private and to update them regularly
• ensure your child understands the implications of posting images and content on the internet.
• Discuss cyberbullying—what it is, how to spot it, and the importance of reporting it.
• Be informed on the age limitation for creating accounts on social media platforms. Each will have their own and can be found in their terms of service.

If your child has a social network account, consider connecting as friends, join their online game or follow their account. Your child may resist this but it may still be a good idea to open an account to increase your understanding of the site or app they are using.

Reporting inappropriate content

Social media providers may remove content that breaches their terms of service or acceptable use policies. Most websites and apps have a 'report/block this person' or 'report/flag content' function for content that may be inappropriate or harmful.

If you don't know who the person responsible is or if they refuse to delete it, you can report the content to the social media administrators. They will review the content and take appropriate action, which may include removing it if it breaches their guidelines.

Helpful links for reporting inappropriate content on social media platforms:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Google (including YouTube)
• X (formerly Twitter)
• Snapchat
• TikTok

If you or someone you care about is at risk of harm now call Triple Zero (000).

If you have identified that your child is or has been a victim a victim of a cyber incident and is related to their school, please report immediately to the school principal or your student's teacher.

Schools can reach out to the department's Cybersafety team for support. This team assists Queensland state schools respond to negative or harmful online behaviour. The team provides advice to departmental staff on reporting harmful content through social media platform tools, as well as working with stakeholders about the removal of inappropriate or extreme content. The aim of this work is to help safeguard young people from online harm and promote safer, more positive online engagement.

Additional resources

• eSafety's Parents page—learn about what children do online and how you can encourage them to be positive digital citizens at different ages.
• Stay Smart Online—read about how to protect personal and financial information.
• ThinkUKnow—contains information about technologies that are popular with kids and advice about app safety.
• Computers and your child—learn how you can help your children to stay safe online, and set boundaries for how to use technology.
• Who's chatting to your kids?—provides tips to help you keep your children safe from online predators.
• Bullying No Way—information about bullying, harassment, discrimination and violence in schools.
• Social media and the school community (PDF, 1.5 MB)—a guide offering information to parents and caregivers about how to use social media in relation to comments or posts about their school community.

Tips for learning at home

With children's use of internet and technology becoming a standard part of everyday and continues to increase as a parent or caregiver consider ways to protect them whilst they are online.

Manage screen time and supervise online content

When students are connected to the internet, it's important to supervise their online activity consider installing some form of internet filtering and parental control solution so you can set time limits, filter and block content and reward good behaviour. There are many options available, including free and paid products where some cover a single device and others cover multiple devices. The eSafety Commissioner's parental controls has more information.

Set clear rules and boundaries for internet and device use

Establish rules about what apps, websites and programs your child is allowed to access. Set screen time limits that best suit your household and set boundaries about where technology can be used. Make clear rules about who your child can connect with whilst they are online, and what language is appropriate and acceptable. These conversations are crucial so your child understands your family's rules and consequences.

Review online contacts and friends

Remind your child that sometimes people pretend to be someone they're not, even using profile pictures from real people's accounts. Just because it looks like the profile of someone they know, doesn't mean it is. It's best to check whether a profile is legitimate before accepting friend requests or messages. Where your child is speaking with others they do know, encourage them to engage in a respectful manner and to alert you or a trusted adult if they feel uncomfortable at any stage.

Be responsible and positive when interacting online

Ensure your child knows not to share personal information online, such as their school, address, date of birth, phone number or location. Remind your child to think before sharing any posts, images or messages online. All posts should be positive, useful and true to present themselves in a positive way and remain respectful of others.

Communicate with your child about their online activities

This is a great time to have open discussions about their technology use and reassure your child that they can talk to you or another trusted adult about any online concerns, if they have made a mistake, or if someone makes them feel uncomfortable. The eSafety Commissioner's online safety book has more information.