Wellbeing Report
Years 7,8,& 9 – Susan McLean – Cybersafety Solutions Incursion
Last week we were pleased to welcome back Susan to Nazareth to speak to our Year 7, 8 & 9 students. Susan is a well known and highly respected cyber safety expert who presented our students with current information and awareness regarding their online and social media use. Our students were highly engaged by the information presented. These are the important issues she discussed:
The Facts
What do you need to know about cyberspace in order to make good online decisions. Fact Vs Fiction.
Digital Reputation
How what you do online now and what you post will have an impact on your future opportunities. What do people look for and how to make your digital reputation as positive as possible.
Cyberbullying
What is cyberbullying and how/when does it happen? How does it make a victim feel and what can we do if we see it happen or if it is happening to us. Did you know that cyberbullying is a crime & Police can be involved?
Online ‘friends’
These online ‘friends’ are not really a friend. How strangers find us online and what they might ask us to do. We look at online child sexual predators, where they hang out and how to avoid. What is online grooming and who is at risk?
Sexting
What is sexting? The sending, receiving & possessing naked or sexually explicit images. What are the real consequences for under 18’s, pressure to conform and legal considerations?
What are the sites & apps that children are using and what are the age requirements for each site? How wrong information about some apps is leading to poor decisions.
What is ‘sextortion’ and how can you avoid it?
Staying safe online - How we can be as safe as possible online. How to set up a safe social networking site.
Please find some information sheets here, or for more information, the following websites are extremely useful.
For more information on these topics, Susan has an informative website with many valuable resources for both parent/carers and young people:
https://www.cybersafetysolutions.com.au/
She has also written an easy to read and informative book highlighting these main points. You will find more information about this on her website.
Our Wellbeing Parent Website also has many excellent resources to help parents and carers support their children’s safety online:
https://nazareth.vic.schooltv.me/channel-newsletter/315
The ‘esafety commissioner’ website also has fantastic information, as well as advice on what to do when someone is feeling unsafe online
Student Reflection from listening to Susan’s presentation:
Susan McLean, a very well-known former police officer and cybersafety expert, came and visited Nazareth College last week. She had a discussion with the Year 7, 8 and 9 students regarding cyber safety and behavior in online activity. Throughout the presentation Susan discussed the consequences of inappropriate images, cyber bulling and how it can impact people’s emotions and wellbeing. She also explained the harmful threats and consequences that can stem from teenagers’ online activity. One thing that I took from this discussion was that you could do something silly online when you’re a teenager and think it is just a joke, but 10 years later it can come up and potentially interfere with your career. Liani Year 9 MA3
Ms Jackie Kol
Director of Wellbeing