Senator Catryna Bilyk
Labor Senator for Tasmania
Chair of the Joint Select Committee on Cyber-Safety
MEDIA RELEASE
Senator Bilyk welcomes new resources to keep young people safe online.
The Chair of the Joint Select Committee on Cyber-Safety, Senator Catryna Bilyk, has welcomed the launch by the Australian Government of a new online resource to tackle cyberbullying and help more young people stay safe online.
The Easy Guide to Socialising Online was recently launched by Prime Minister Julia Gillard and the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, and provides information to help parents, children and educators combat cyberbullying and inappropriate content online.
‘The Easy Guide to Socialiasing Online provides cyber-safety information for 26 social networking sites, search engines and online games, including Facebook, Twitter, Google, and World of Warcraft,’ said Senator Bilyk. ‘It also gives step by step instructions on how to report cyberbullying, abuse and inappropriate content on these sites’.
The Easy Guide provides clear information for parents, educators and young people on how to adjust safety and privacy settings on websites as well as tips on how to stay safe when using any social media site.
‘The Easy Guide adds to other resources the Australian Government has launched under the Government’s $125.8 million Cyber-safety Plan,’ said Senator Bilyk ‘These include the Cybersafety Help Button and resources for schools such as the Cyber Smart Networking program I launched at St. Aloysius Catholic College in Kingston in November’.
The new Easy Guide website address is www.dbcde.gov.au/easyguide and it can also be accessed via the Cybersafety Help Button.
The Cybersafety Help Button is a ‘one stop shop’ for practical information and tips on how to deal with cyberbullying, unwanted contact and offensive or illegal content. Since its launch 12 months ago, the Help Button has been downloaded on more than 300,000 computers across Australia.
The Cybersafety Help Button can be downloaded at www.dbcde.gov.au/helpbutton.
Further tips on cyber-security and safety are available at www.staysmartonline.gov.au
Senator Catryna Bilyk Labor Senator for Tasmania Chair of the Joint Select Committee on Cyber-Safety
