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AUSTRALIA-CYBER-BULLYING
1 in 5 Aussie children victimized by cyber bullying
CANBERRA, Oct. 3, 2018 (BSS/XINHUA) – One in five Australian children are
victims of cyber bullying, the nation’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman
Grant has revealed.
Inman Grant addressed the National Press Club on Wednesday, calling for
cyber bullying to be addressed in the national school curriculum, saying that
online safety had become “one of the primary parenting challenges of our
time.”
The Office of the eSafety Commissioner studied complaints of online abuse
dating back to 2015, finding that one in four reports included “direct
threats of violence or harm” targeted at a child.
“The average age of victims is 14; girls are bullied online more than boys;
and almost all of the online abuse is peer to peer and has a nexus to social
conflict within the school gates,” Inman Grant told the press club.
“Our experience shows that complaints are becoming much more complex,
urgent, and serious.”
Cyber bullying was thrust into the national conscience earlier this year
when 14-year-old girl Dolly Everett from the Northern Territory took her own
life after being bullied online.
Inman Grant said there was “no quick fix” for the problem but schools had a
key role to play.
“To help achieve this societal change, we need to reinforce key values with
children in the home whilst integrating similar principles into the
curriculum,” she said.
“How can we really be preparing our children for the workforce of the
future if we are not teaching them the skills and behaviours they will need
to survive in this brave new online world?”
A survey conducted by Inman Grant’s office revealed that 96 percent of
parents needed “additional online safety information to help them manage the
online risks their children are exposed to.”
“Their concerns range from protecting their child’s online privacy to
knowing what signs and symptoms to look for in determining whether their
child has experienced some form of online abuse,” she said.
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