The eSafety Commissioner provides educational resources, cyberbullying reporting systems, and online safety programs specifically targeting Australian young people and their families.
Identify TWO such resources and explain how they address technology-related health issues in young Australians. (5 marks)
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*Language highlighting the cause-effect relationship is bolded in the answer below.
Answers could include any two of the following:
Cyberbullying reporting portal
- This online system allows young people to report serious cyberbullying incidents directly to eSafety, who can then require social media platforms to remove harmful content within 24 hours.
- This leads to immediate reduction in psychological harm because victims regain control over their online experience and see tangible action taken against perpetrators.
- As a result, young people feel empowered to seek help early, which prevents the escalation of mental health issues like anxiety and depression that occur when cyberbullying continues unchecked.
Online safety education programs
- These school-based initiatives teach young people to recognise online risks, manage their digital footprint, and develop resilience strategies against cyber-threats.
- This works by building critical thinking skills that enable students to identify predatory behaviour, scams, and harmful content before engaging with them.
- The reason this is effective is that prevention through education creates long-lasting protective behaviours, which results in fewer technology-related mental health issues and demonstrates why early intervention through schools is crucial.
Parent and carer resources
- Educational materials help adults understand online risks, privacy settings, and age-appropriate content restrictions for different platforms.
- This occurs because informed parents can implement protective measures at home, which creates safer digital environments where young people can explore technology without excessive exposure to harmful content.
- This relationship results in stronger family communication about online experiences, thereby reducing the likelihood of young people hiding cyber-incidents and ensuring early intervention when problems arise.
Safer Internet Day campaigns
- Annual awareness activities promote positive online behaviours, digital citizenship, and responsible technology use among young Australians through schools and community events.
- This happens when widespread messaging reaches multiple stakeholders simultaneously, which causes a collective shift in understanding about healthy online interactions.
- This demonstrates why community-wide approaches are powerful – they create social norms around respectful online behaviour, which leads to reduced cyberbullying incidents and establishes technology use as a shared responsibility between young people, families, and schools.
*Language highlighting the cause-effect relationship is bolded in the answer below.
Answers could include any two of the following:
Cyberbullying reporting portal
- This online system allows young people to report serious cyberbullying incidents directly to eSafety, who can then require social media platforms to remove harmful content within 24 hours.
- This leads to immediate reduction in psychological harm because victims regain control over their online experience and see tangible action taken against perpetrators.
- As a result, young people feel empowered to seek help early, which prevents the escalation of mental health issues like anxiety and depression that occur when cyberbullying continues unchecked.
Online safety education programs
- These school-based initiatives teach young people to recognise online risks, manage their digital footprint, and develop resilience strategies against cyber-threats.
- This works by building critical thinking skills that enable students to identify predatory behaviour, scams, and harmful content before engaging with them.
- The reason this is effective is that prevention through education creates long-lasting protective behaviours, which results in fewer technology-related mental health issues and demonstrates why early intervention through schools is crucial.
Parent and carer resources
- Educational materials help adults understand online risks, privacy settings, and age-appropriate content restrictions for different platforms.
- This occurs because informed parents can implement protective measures at home, which creates safer digital environments where young people can explore technology without excessive exposure to harmful content.
- This relationship results in stronger family communication about online experiences, thereby reducing the likelihood of young people hiding cyber-incidents and ensuring early intervention when problems arise.
Safer Internet Day campaigns
- Annual awareness activities promote positive online behaviours, digital citizenship, and responsible technology use among young Australians through schools and community events.
- This happens when widespread messaging reaches multiple stakeholders simultaneously, which causes a collective shift in understanding about healthy online interactions.
- This demonstrates why community-wide approaches are powerful – they create social norms around respectful online behaviour, which leads to reduced cyberbullying incidents and establishes technology use as a shared responsibility between young people, families, and schools.