Cyberbullying a Serious Risk for Aussie Kids

Cyberbullying a Serious Risk for Aussie Kids

With 80% of Australian kids under 10 now active on social networks and Australia leading the world in cyberbullying, anti-bullying expert John Caldwell is urging parents and carers to rise to the challenge.

Mr Caldwell, Corporate Ambassador of Angels Goal said the most recent ACMA report, Like Post Share, showed while parents were very aware of the need for cybersafety with older children, there was a significant gap in teaching kids under 10 how to protect themselves online.

&ldquoThe ACMA report shows the percentage of Australian eight to nine year olds who rate the internet as &lsquovery important&rsquo in their lives has doubled since 2009,&rdquo Mr Caldwell said.

&ldquoUp to 35 per cent of eight to 11-year-olds have their own mobile phone, rising to 94 per cent of 16 to 17-year-olds. Children and young people are increasingly gaining access to the internet via their mobiles yet fewer eight to 11-year-olds have discussed cybersafety with their parents.&rdquo

With 1 in 4 Australian kids being bullied and Australia a world leader in workplace bullying leading Australian anti-bullying organisation, Angels Goal is tackling the problem head on via an on-line armoury of apps, resources, and support tools as well as a series of empowerment camps to help Australians of all ages stand up to and stomp out bullying. Mr Caldwell, who is also CEO of Australia&rsquos fastest growing recruitment group, RWR Group, said Angels Goal is now partnering with ProtectAChild.

ProtectaChild automatically tracks children's social networking sites, including Facebook, YouTube, MySpace and Twitter, using keywords and tracking for inappropriate content. ProtectaChild then sends the parent/guardian an email alert when inappropriate words are detected.

&ldquoMany parents monitor their children&rsquos use of the internet but you can&rsquot simply can&rsquot be everywhere, particularly if your child is going online via a mobile. Kids are generally more tech-savvy than adults, and more capable of controlling technology and platforms than their parents via privacy settings and hiding browser history and that&rsquos where a solution like ProtectaChild comes into its own.&rdquo

&ldquoIt&rsquos important to note too that while the most popular social platforms do require users to be at least 13-years-old, research shows close of half of teenagers who use networking sites admit to lying about their age. Kids are smart and if they don&rsquot want you to know what they&rsquore up to, generally, they&rsquoll find a way.&rdquo

&ldquoThat&rsquos why Angels Goal has partnered with ProtectaChild. It automatically tracks children's social networking sites, including Facebook, YouTube, MySpace and Twitter, using keywords and tracking for inappropriate content. Any trigger words result in an email alert &ndash it completely removes the random nature and risk of sporadic monitoring and the feedback so far from parents and kids has been fantastic.&rdquo

&ldquoFrom working with schools across Australia to providing online support for kids and young Australians, and their friends and families, Angels Goal&rsquos website is a resource to fight the fight against bullying,&rdquo Mr Caldwell said.

Angels Goal was formed in 2012 by Chloe Cunningham, a victim of school bullying who has taken the brave step to fight bullying at its source. The goal of the organisation is to mentor, educate and inspire all children and adults with the necessary life-long skills and courage to take action against becoming the victim of bullying in their schools, sporting clubs, workplaces and the boarder community.