A new Senate Committee report on cyber bullying has backed calls for social media giants to have a duty of care to keep users safe.
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The report outlines recommendations to the federal government to combat cyber bullying, at a time when causing harm to others on electronic devices is becoming an increasing concern for parents and social media users.
The nine recommendations include legislating to create a duty of care on social media platforms to ensure the safety of their users, and maintaining regulatory pressure on social media platforms to prevent and quickly respond to cyber bullying material on their platforms.
Approximately one in five Australian children are cyber bullied, according to the office of the eSafety Commissioner.
Kids Helpline had over 3,000 contacts about cybersafety in 2017, with over 950 contacts concerned about cyber bullying.
Around 44 per cent were made by children aged 12 to 14, revealing cyber bullying is common in transitional years between primary and secondary school and during puberty.
Headspace Ballarat manager Janelle Johnson it was important children and teenagers who were experiencing cyber bullying understood they were not alone.
“Parents and older adolescents should report every incidence of bullying to network administrators no matter how small,” she said.
It is harassment and it should be taken seriously.
- Janelle Johnson, Headspace Ballarat manager
“Our advice is to never give out passwords, don’t share anything personal on the internet, save messages or postings as proof, block the person doing the cyber bullying. Also, sometimes it is a nice thing to do to turn off all technology and have a break.”
Other Senate Committee recommendations in the report include developing a clear definition of cyber bullying, and approaching it as a social and public health issue to aim for improved quality and reach of preventative and early intervention measures, as well as increasing the maximum penalty for harassment online.
Call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 or drop in to Headspace Ballarat for support.
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