JOINT MEDIA RELEASE

4 March 2009

ThinkUKnow education program launched in Australian schools to keep children safe online

A pilot program designed to help Australia’s children stay safe online was announced today by the Australian Federal Police (AFP), the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and Microsoft.

The program, which was introduced to selected schools in February, has already resulted in over 500 teachers, carers and parents educated on online safety issues in the last month

ThinkUKnow, a joint initiative, is an internet safety program designed to help teachers, carers and parents educate children about safety and encourage them to think before they act online.

The pilot phase of the program is seeing trained volunteers from the AFP, ACMA and Microsoft run education programs at more than 100 schools across NSW, Victoria and the ACT.

ThinkUKnow is educating adults on how to ensure today’s children have a positive online experience and give them tools to manage their online safety. Participants learn about the types of things young people are doing online, and be given guidance on how to minimise risks and address issues as they arise.

AFP Acting National Manager of High Tech Crime Operations Neil Gaughan said the internet is a fun place where young people can interact with the world, but it also had many hidden threats.

“Every time an Australian child logs onto the internet to use instant messaging or social networking sites, they and their parents and teachers need to be aware of some of the negative aspects,” Commander Gaughan said.

“They need to understand that the people they are chatting to may not be who they say they are.”

The ThinkUKnow program originated in the UK and was founded by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre. A pilot study carried out by the Virtual Global Taskforce and Microsoft revealed that one in 12 young people in the UK had met someone in the real world who they first met online – someone they didn’t know if they could trust.

“The AFP’s child protection team finds and prosecutes online offenders. ThinkUKnow is another proactive piece of the puzzle with the aim to ensure children have a positive online experience.”

Microsoft’s Regional Director of Online Safety Julie Inman-Grant said more than 60 volunteers from Microsoft had committed their own time to ensure Australian parents could feel safe and confident about their child’s online activity.

“Our volunteers feel passionately about harnessing their professional skills to help others to be more involved in their children’s online experiences. Many adults trail behind children when it comes to technology, but children may lack real-world experience and sound judgment, making them more vulnerable to online risks.

“Research commissioned by Microsoft supports this – a recent survey found that even though a quarter of children surveyed reported they had been cyber-bullied, a startling 83% of parents did not know what to do if their child found themselves in this situation,” Ms Inman-Grant said.

“As a company, Microsoft has a long-standing commitment to online safety. Our partnerships with law enforcement agencies, the Government and the education and NGO sectors underpin everything we do. We believe that the strength of the ThinkUKnow partnership will bring significant and tangible benefits to communities around Australia.”

As part of the Australian Government’s cybersafety policy, ACMA provides a comprehensive national program of cybersafety initiatives including research of current trends in cybersafety, targeted information campaigns and activities, and development of cybersafety education materials.

”The ThinkUKnow program and partnership is a welcome addition in helping young Australians to stay safe online,” said Chris Chapman, ACMA Chairman.

A website has been developed to assist in the education: www.thinkuknow.org.au.

Download the wmv video here.

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