Children facing online threats
MORE than one in 10 Australian teens have been threatened by someone who said they would send or post private photos or videos of them, with the majority not reporting the harm to authorities.
About 45 per cent of children surveyed by the eSafety commissioner this year said their main negative online experience was being called offensive names, while 14 per cent of kids aged 11 to 17 received threats their private images would be shared.
Less than four per cent of parents and twelve per cent of children reported their abuse to the eSafety commissioner, News Corp can reveal.
The shocking rates of online abuse suffered by children and adults in 2022 are outlined in a new report based on a survey of 6434 Australians to be released by the federal government on Monday.
Two in five adults were abused online in the past year, with the most common negative online experience involving being sent unwanted or inappropriate sexual content or being harassed. The survey also found the number of children aged eight to 17 with a mobile phone of their own has increased by 50 per cent in the last two years, with almost two thirds of kids now having a portable device.
Children surveyed revealed almost half “always or sometimes” find a way to get around parental restrictions placed on their devices or internet usage.
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said in the past seven years her office had investigated almost 100,000 reports of child cyber-bullying, illegal and restricted content – including child sexual exploitation material – as well as image-based abuse and “serious” adult cyber abuse.
“We want every Australian to know that they can come to eSafety for advice and help when things go wrong online,” she said.
“We help thousands of people every year who report online abuse and seriously harmful content to us, by getting content taken down quickly and providing compassionate advice.”
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said the results of the survey were “deeply concerning”.
“The Albanese government has a strong record of supporting online safety for Australians, including from Opposition, and we will continue this important work,” she said.