SUPPORTING YOUR CHILD IN DIFFICULT TIMES
Inappropriate content: factsheet
Key points
- Many young people are exposed to content that they are not ready for developmentally.
- If the content is illegal or needs to have restricted access for people who are 18 or older, you can report it to eSafety.
- The eSafety Guide includes information on features of apps that increase exposure to inappropriate content.
- eSafety Education has resources to help teachers explore this issue with their students.
- All students need to be taught specific technical, personal and social skills to help them minimise their exposure to inappropriate content.
Prevent and manage exposure to inappropriate content
From Early Years to Year 2 students should build skills in:
- identifying online behaviours that make them feel safe and unsafe
- identifying and describing emotional responses people may experience in different online situations
- removing themselves from unsafe online situations if they come across inappropriate content
- describing strategies to help them search for safe, reliable information on safe search engines and websites.
Between Years 3 to 6, students should:
- develop an awareness of situations that might increase their exposure to inappropriate content online
- examine primary and secondary online sources to determine origin, purpose and reliability, and describe and apply strategies that can be used to reduce and manage exposure to harmful content
- question what they encounter online and begin to think critically about issues including body image, gender identity, racism, fake news and democracy
- investigate support services such as eSafety and Kids Helpline
- consider ways to setup their devices and apps to minimise accidental exposure to inappropriate content, for example, using screen time tools
From Years 7 to 10 students should:
- evaluate online sources for their reliability and usefulness and select from appropriate primary and secondary online sources
- use critical thinking and questioning skills when consuming online content
- have strategies for making informed decisions when they encounter disinformation (false or misleading information distributed with the purpose to deceive)
- recognise the laws that govern online interactions and explore challenges such as ways of sustaining a resilient democracy and cohesive society, given the impact and implications of online technology
- explore app features that can be used to control what they see in their feed.
