House of Representatives Committees

| Parliamentary Joint Committee on Cyber-Safety

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High-Wire Act: Cyber-Safety and the Young

June 2011

View the report as a single document - (PDF 6.9MB)

View the report as separate downloadable parts:


Preliminary pages - Foreword	(PDF 196KB)

Chapter 1 Introduction	(PDF 350KB)
The online environment Defining the online environment Platforms Access to the online environment ‘Cyber-safety’ Adult responses to cyber-safety issues Australian Government responsibilities State and Territory responsibilities Current Parliamentary inquiries Previous Parliamentary reports Australian Law Reform Commission Inquiry Joint Select Committee on Cyber-Safety Overview of this Report Part 1: Introduction Part 2: Cyber-safety Part 3: Educational strategies Part 4: Enforcement Part 5: Australian and international responses Part 6: Conclusions Results of the Inquiry

Chapter 2 Young people in the online environment	(PDF 217KB)
Stakeholders Real and virtual worlds Entry to the online environment Disadvantaged young people Vulnerable young people Young people with disabilities Young Indigenous people in remote communities Young people in regional areas Privacy Schools Libraries School libraries Public libraries Public libraries in NSW Public libraries in the ACT Consultation with young people Youth Advisory Group Committee’s consultations Are you safe? Survey of Australian youth Primary school visit High school forum Comments

Chapter 3 Cyber-bullying	(PDF 574KB)
Definitions What conduct is cyber-bullying? Nexus with ’traditional’ bullying Some experiences Causes and means Prevalence Impacts and implications Coping strategies Bystanders Who do victims tell? Committee comments

Chapter 4 Cyber-stalking, online grooming and sexting	(PDF 263KB)
Cyber-stalking Genuineness of others online Prevalence Impact Sanctions against cyber-stalking Sexual grooming Prevalence Impact Sanctions against sexual grooming Research Sexting Prevalence Impact Sanctions against sexting Research Illegal and inappropriate content

Chapter 5 Breaches of privacy and identity theft	(PDF 318KB)
Introduction Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) Privacy and young people Privacy settings Identity theft Collection of unnecessary information

Chapter 6 Other significant cyber-safety complexities	(PDF 125KB)
‘Technology addictions’ Online gambling Violence Online promotion of inappropriate behaviours Online availability of alcohol Online availability of drugs Suicide Anorexia Committee views

Chapter 7 The decision to post	(PDF 579KB)
Information sharing, assessment of risk and the privacy of young people The Internet and identity Creating authentic identities online and offline Exploring identity What information do young people share? Name Age or birthday Address Telephone number School attended Bank account details Holiday plans Passwords Photos of others Conclusion Are young people aware of online risks? Risk and anonymity Ambivalence How and why do young people decide what content to share online? Personality, identity and appreciation of risk Critical thinking and rational deduction Informal learning Learning from experience Sibling- and peer-based learning Common sense Learning by examples reported in media or featured in television shows Formal learning Limiting online networks Disclosing information to expand networks Digital footprints Longevity of the life of posted content Ownership of posted content Inability to delete accounts/information posted etc Targeted advertising as a result of interests and past activities When fun isn’t fun anymore: examining the complexities of photo sharing Requesting the removal of photos Approaching friends Submitting requests to site administrators Conclusion

Chapter 8 Schools	(PDF 191KB)
Early cyber-safety education Roles of schools Duty of care National Safe Schools Framework Curriculums and programs Partnerships with the Australian Communications and Media Authority Technological approaches Coordination Accreditation Committee views

Chapter 9 Teachers	(PDF 128KB)
Professional development of teachers Pre-service teacher education Cyber-bullying of teachers Mandatory reporting Training accreditation

Chapter 10 Whole-of-school community	(PDF 316KB)
Parents/carers Information for parents/carers Available technologies Household media rules Involving parents/carers Conditions of use agreements Parent advisory body Peers Concluding comments

Chapter 11 Legislative basis	(PDF 270KB)
Australian law and the online environment Australian Government responsibilities Australian Federal Police State and Territory responsibilities New South Wales Victoria South Australia Western Australia Tasmania Sanctions against cyber-bullying Sanctions against cyber-stalking Sanctions against sexual grooming Sanctions against sexting Sanctions against illegal or inappropriate content Promotion of suicide Breaches of privacy and identity theft Information requests Community education Legal risks National accredited training Law enforcement Role of industry Concluding comments

Chapter 12 Policing	(PDF 142KB)
Policing and justice Criminalisation of online behaviour Restorative justice programs Intervention orders Coordination Legal risks Feedback from young people Concluding comments

Chapter 13 An online ombudsman?	(PDF 175KB)
Role of an ombudsman Support for an online ombudsman Those opposing the establishment of an ombudsman Other options Those undecided Conclusion

Chapter 14 Australian responses to cyber-safety issues	(PDF 265KB)
Australian Government responses Australian Communications and Media Authority Cybersmart programs Cybersafety Help Button Consultative Working Group on Cybersafety Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Attorney-General’s Department State and Territory Government responsibilities New South Wales Victoria Queensland South Australia South Australian Office for Youth Western Australia Tasmania Northern Territory The Australian Capital Territory Education Non-government and industry responses Australian organisations Aboriginal initiatives Australian ICT industry bodies Marketing

Chapter 15 International Responses to Cyber-Threats	(PDF 124KB)
United Kingdom Task Force on Child Protection on the Internet Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre and ThinkUKnow United Kingdom Council for Child Internet Safety Education programs Childnet International United States NetCetera: Chatting with Kids About Being Online Children’s Agenda for Digital Opportunity OnGuard Online Centre for Safe and Responsible Internet Use Wired Safety resources National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Cyber-safety.com Cybercitizen Awareness Program Cybersmart! Canada Internet 101 New Zealand Leading international collaborations Virtual Global Taskforce Council of Europe Convention on Cyber-Crime United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Commission The Australian/European Research Training School Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency Australia’s contributions

Chapter 16 New technologies	(PDF 127KB)
Safeguards Some solutions Family Friendly Filter Throttling bandwidth Central monitoring of access Australian Protected Network Industry advances Mobile phones Young people and technology

Chapter 17 Proposal for a mandatory filtering system	(PDF 98KB)
Background Support for the proposal Concerns about the proposal Other views Feedback from young Australians

Chapter 18 Input from young people	(PDF 331KB)
Getting the message right Appropriate educational materials Empower young people to better assist each other Peer education Crossing the inter-generational divide Inverting the teaching relationship Other suggestions Industry Site Administrators and Developers Technology Community Legislation and law enforcement Tackling cyber-bullying Education programs and awareness campaigns Greater support networks More actions by site administrators Innovative suggestions General comments Conclusion

Chapter 19 Conclusions	(PDF 230KB)
Centralised system Central portal National cyber-safety education program Effectiveness of education programs Educational resources Research The role of the media Media advertising campaign Industry cooperation Take down notices Point of sale Health and wellbeing Prevention strategies Input from young people Seeking help online Parents/carers Law enforcement Timeliness of information Costs for law enforcement agencies

Appendix A — Submissions	(PDF 47KB)

Appendix B — Exhibits	(PDF 56KB)

Appendix C — Witnesses	(PDF 49KB)

Appendix D – Survey Methodology - Content	(PDF 166KB)

Appendix E – Online Offences	(PDF 178KB)