E-safety Commissioner to improve online safety for children
AMA President, Professor Brian Owler, said the establishment today of the Office of the Children’s e-Safety Commissioner is an important step to increase the online safety of Australian children.
The new Commissioner, Mr Alastair McGibbon - a former Australian Federal Police Officer and a recognised expert in online safety - will oversee a complaints system that will issue formal notices to quickly remove harmful cyberbullying material that targets Australian children on large social networking sites.
Professor Owler said that cyberbullying is a serious health threat for young people.
“Cyberbullying can result in a range of health and development problems, including an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and suicide,” Professor Owler said.
“The substantial growth in the use mobile internet devices, such as smart phones and tablets, means that children and young people spend an increasing amount of time online, with little or no supervision, which creates the right conditions for cyber bullying.
“The Government’s appointment of the Children’s e-Safety Commissioner recognises this reliance on online social networking, and represents a serious approach to reduce the impacts of cyber bullying on Australian children.
“The Commissioner will raise awareness of cyberbullying, and issue ‘notices’ to remove cyber bullying content from large social networking sites.
“These notices can also be issued to individuals who upload cyberbullying material aimed at Australian children.
“The AMA encourages young people to explore and embrace this new avenue to report cyber bullying,” Professor Owler said
Background:
- one in five children aged eight to seventeen reported being exposed to cyberbullying over a 12 month period;
- this gives a rough estimate of the number of children involved in cyberbullying as somewhere between 460,000 and 560,000 children in a 12 month period; and
- according to the Raising Children Network, 12 per cent of children and young people who use mobile phones have reported receiving a threatening or abusive text, and seven per cent reported sending one.
Details of the Children’s e-Safety Commissioner are at www.esafety.gov.au
1 July 2015
CONTACT: Odette Visser 02 6270 5412 / 0427 209 753