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Social Media & Social Accountability We know that an important part of a young person’s

developmental stage is their social connections with their

peer group.

A helpful way of influencing a young person’s online

behaviours is to ask them ‘how do you want other people to

see you?’ or ‘if your boyfriend/girlfriend saw your post,

what would they think?’. We can try to add weight to cyber

safety messages by framing them in light of how positive

online behavior will impact social standing and peer

acceptance.

‘Stranger Danger’ Of the 1.3 billion Facebook profiles that exist, 83 million of

these are fake. The important questions then are:

When we are online, how do we know who we are speaking

to is actually who we think we are speaking to?

How do we know who is looking at our information, and

what are they doing with it?

This means we have to be very careful about what

information we are posting online, because we can never

be sure who is going to see it. Even private messages

between two people are never guaranteed to stay private

(‘screenshotting’ is commonplace amongst teens).

When we are speaking to people online, we can never be

certain they are who they say they are (unless we can

physically see them over Skype, etc). Therefore, we must

always question what information we are sharing with the

people we are talking to.

TIPS FOR STUDENTS:

- Never agree to meet up with any online.

- Don’t share information about where you’re

hanging out, where you work or your school.

- Don’t share information online that you wouldn’t

want your parents, teachers or girlfriend/boyfriend

to see.

Key Cyber Safety Points to Teach Students - Always keep your social media profiles on private.

- Never accept friend requests from strangers.

- Don’t share your passwords with anyone.

- Turn off your location services on your phone.

- Be choosy about the information you are sharing.

- Assume everyone can see what you are posting

online, even if your profile is on private.

- If someone is bullying you, or you see someone

being bullied online, take a screenshot and let

someone know.

- Anonymously report bullying or negative online

behaviours at esafety.gov.au

- Don’t give out personal information online that

you wouldn’t give out to a stranger on the street.

- Everything that is posted online, stays online. Think

about how your post may impact you in the future.

- Once something is posted online, you can’t track it

where it goes. Don’t post something if you aren’t

ok with your post being seen by others.

Sexting & The Law Sexting is a crime when it involves people under the age of

18. It is illegal for images of a sexual nature to be asked for,

taken and sent, received, or passed on to others. Police do

often become involved in matters relating to sexting, and

young people can be charged under the sexting law with

the creation and distribution of child pornography.

Knowing the law can be a significant deterrent for young

people to participate in sexting behaviours. However,

young people are also encouraged to consider the social

and emotional consequences if their photo was spread.

Furthermore, it can be important to debunk the myth that

sexting is a ‘normal’ part of teenage relationships.

The final point is that anything that is sent online, stays

online somewhere. A sexting image is never truly deleted.

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Cyber Bullying Researchers have suggested that effective cyber bullying management occurs when student’s feel that the school has

created a positive school climate. Evidence suggests that positive school climates are built upon an established prevention

and early intervention framework. In order to build a positive school climate, the following steps may be considered:

1. Clearly define cyber bullying and outline this in school policies and code of conduct.

2. Define processes of who manages bullying and make clear to students

3. Provide advice to students on how to respond to bullies and how to submit a report.

4. Provide support to cyber bullying victims or refer to external service

5. Encourage all students to be ethical bystanders & responsible online citizens.

6. Enforce consistent and immediate disciplinary action to bullies

7. Where relevant, contact the eSafety commission to make a report

8. Contact relevant parent parties for debrief and to address any outstanding conflicts

The Five R’s of Managing Cyber Bullying Incidences:

Respond Always

Research Facts

Record Documentation

Report Findings

Revisit the Issue to ensure that it is resolved

Whole School Cyber Safety Management

We promote a bottom-up approach to implement short-term strategies, whilst promoting long-term change.

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Whole School Cyber Safety Management (cntd) By taking a school-community based approach, the school can offer a strategic approach to cyber safety, and promote

positive long-term outcomes for students, parents and the broader school community.

The most effective cyber safety management includes establishing a Cyber Safety Team within the school

The Cyber Safety Team can provide students and staff with ongoing support regarding:

• Relevant laws related to cyber safety

• Useful resources and support networks

• Current social media trends

• Inform potential policy changes

• Act as school representative for parents

• General wellbeing check-ins for students

It may be beneficial for the Cyber Safety Team to consist of an IT-Savvy staff member, a person responsible for student

wellbeing, a clearly identified cyber leader, and a responsible student (for consultation). The Cyber Safety Team may wish

to develop:

A pathway for anonymous reporting by students

Structured Incident Response Plans

An Internet Safety Crisis Resource Document

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Structured Incidence Response Plan

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Cyber Safety in the Classroom

Teachers may wish to consider establishing a ‘Rules about Technology’ document in their classes. Involve the

students in this process by asking them to make statements about their technology. For example, students may

say ‘I will treat others fairly when I interact with people online’.

Teachers may also wish to incorporate cyber safety messages in their classroom projects or assignments. For a

range of activities, lesson plans and videos, visit:

commonsensemedia.org/educators/scope-and-sequence

Useful Websites

Family Help Centres provides parents and teachers information on how to report cyber bullying, sexting images

or other inappropriate material.

Instagram- https://help.instagram.com/154475974694511/

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/safety

YouTube- https://support.google.com/youtube/?hl=en#topic=4355266

SnapChat- https://www.snapchat.com/safety

Connect Safely- http://www.connectsafely.org/

This website provides information guides to parents and educators about the ins-and-outs of all the major social media

platforms.

Family Zone- https://www.familyzone.com/

This is a powerful parental control tool that allows parents to block their child’s access to dangerous websites, block their

child’s use of social media apps, and turn off their phones at set times (like bedtime). This tool also allows parents to limit

use of social media and gaming websites while children are using their technology to complete their homework.

Office of the Children’s eSafety Commission- esafety.gov.au

Australian Government platform which facilitates support in relation to cyber bullying, sexting and other challenges

related to technology and social media use. This website also hosts a number of helpful resources, including classroom

activities and relevant legislation.