Website to tackle cyber bullying

Queensland school students will learn skills to stay safe online with the launch ofa new cyber-safety website which uses a quiz to highlight potential dangers.

Minister for Education, Training and Employment John-Paul Langbroek said the new website will use characters including Bully Girl and Shifty Shane to help educate students of the dangers of cyber bullying. 

“The internet is an excellent resource, offering a world of information at our finger tips, but unfortunately it also has its dangers,” Mr Langbroek said.

“That’s why the Queensland Government has partnered with Telstra to develop a project that incorporates an online quiz designed to show students how to have fun online while keeping safe.

“This government is absolutely committed to ensuring that Queensland is the safest place to raise a child and this is just another way we are delivering on that promise.”

Mr Langbroek said the Meet the Creeps quiz was specifically geared to students aged from 11 to 13 and teaches them to be able to recognise potential dangers.

“There are six characters in the interactive quiz, with each one representing potential pitfalls for children who might inadvertently put themselves at risk when using online technology,” he said.

Telstra Global Enterprise & Services Executive Director, Chris Pearce, said Telstra cared about its customers and wanted to make sure they can make the most of the opportunities technology offers, while remaining safe online.

“Cyberbullying is a serious issue affecting young Australians, and at Telstra we want to ensure parents and their children have educational tools available to help them deal with it,” Mr Pearce said.

“Our recent research into the experiences of young people growing up online revealed 74 per cent of respondents said they would advise someone experiencing cyberbullying online to tell an adult. It also revealed more than half of the respondents had experienced some kind of bullying online. 

“This quiz provides an easily accessible resource for adults to use with their kids to learn about the online world together, helping them safely connect with a brilliant future.”

Mr Langbroek said the quiz tackled a range of issues, including how to deal with personal information, cyberbullying, online scams and the permanence and wide-spread accessibility of information once it was online.

“It allows children to choose from alternative answers to a range of situations and then explains why they’ve selected the correct or an unsuitable response,” Mr Langbroek said.

“Importantly, this site also provides parents with the opportunity to have discussions with their children about online activities and keeping safe when using social media.”  

Check out the Meet the Creeps quiz at www.creepquiz.eq.edu.au 

[ENDS] 20 March 2014

Media contact: Danita Goodwin 0439 886 652