Young Australians giving cybersafety advice to government

The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, today launched the 2013 meeting and events program for the government’s Youth Advisory Group on Cybersafety (YAG).

The YAG provides opportunities for primary and secondary students aged between eight and 17 to tell the government about the kinds of cybersafety issues they face.

YAG members discuss these issues in live, secure and moderated online discussion forums with other students, YAG team moderators and the Minister.

The YAG was established in 2009 under the government’s Cybersafety Plan and includes around 3000 students from up to 400 schools across Australia.

‘I look forward to hearing from this year’s YAG students about the cybersafety issues that affect them,’ Senator Conroy said.

‘Over the past four years, YAG members have provided valuable advice to government, which has helped us to develop policies and materials to address cybersafety more effectively. But there is still more to do.

‘Engaging with others online, particularly on social networking sites and gaming sites, is now a normal part of our children’s lives, and hearing from them about the issues they face informs how we can help to keep them safe.’

Five YAG online discussion forums will be held this year.

The first – involving primary school students in NT, SA and WA – begins on 19 March and runs until 28 March. The second – involving primary students from Victoria and Queensland will run from 23 April to 3 May. The third – involving primary students from the ACT, NSW and Tasmania – will be held from 8 to 17 May. The fourth – involving secondary students from NT, SA and WA – will run from 28 May to 7 June. The fifth and final forum for 2013 – involving secondary students from NSW, the ACT, Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania – will run from 12 to 21 June.

Representatives of the YAG will also meet in person in Melbourne at the Cybersafety Summit on 2 August 2013, where students, teachers and parents will meet others from across Australia, along with representatives of government and industry to discuss cybersafety issues.

Teachers, principals and student welfare officers who want to register students in the YAG 2013 program can contact the Department of Broadband, Communications, and the Digital Economy by phone on 1800 254 907, by email yag@dbcde.gov.au, or by completing the registration form online at: www.dbcde.gov.au/yag

Date: 15 March 2013 Contact: Adam Sims 0408 258 457 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 0408 258 457 FREE end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Notes for editors

Outcomes from previous YAG consultations include:

• Establishing the Teachers and Parents Advisory Group on Cybersafety (TAP), which gives teachers and parents across Australia the opportunity to come together via a secure online forum to discuss cybersafety issues affecting children. Teachers and parents with school children who would like to participate in the TAP can contact the department by phone on 1800 254 907 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 1800 254 907 FREE end_of_the_skype_highlighting or by email tap@dbcde.gov.au, and registration forms are available online at www.dbcde.gov.au/yag#tap
• Development of the Cybersafety Help Button, which provides internet users, particularly children and young people, with easy online access to cybersafety information and assistance available in Australia. It offers counselling, reporting and educational resources to help young people deal with online risks.
• Establishing the Easy Guide to Socialising Online, which provides cybersafety information on 27 different social networking, search engine and online gaming sites.
• Establishing the Cybersafety Help – Australian Government’s Facebook page, which provides a gateway for online resources and discussion of cybersafety issues outside the YAG and TAP. Through the page, visitors can be kept up to date on current cybersafety news and find links to educational resources.

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