Digital safety workshops help hundreds of kids across Australia

Optus Digital Thumbprint, a series of free, curriculum-aligned workshops recently clocked an incredible milestone of 10 000 facilitator-led workshops delivering a range? of topics including online safety tips to students nationwide.

Launched in 2013, Optus Digital Thumbprint gives young people the tools they need for positive, responsible and authentic online experiences. With topics like cyber security, cyberbullying and respectful relationships, digital discernment, technology and balance, and online identity, the workshop content is impactful and relevant to students and the challenges they face today.

Over 415,000 students have completed a Digital Thumbprint workshop, and last year we expanded the delivery options to be facilitator-led in class or over Zoom, and teacher-led digital interactives for use in the classroom, or via remote learning. Optus Digital Thumbprint has been endorsed by the eSafety Commissioner as a Trusted eSafety Provider.

Keys to success

We spoke to Digital Thumbprint facilitator Dom Phelan who’s been delivering these important workshops almost 7 years ago to understand what’s made Digital Thumbprint such a success.

“The need for digital safety education has never been greater. There’s more and more content being shared by kids online, not only through social media but also through gaming and apps where you can share content,” Dom says.

“That creates a greater urgency for kids to be aware of the potential risks of sharing personal information online often with people who they don’t know.

“This generation of kids has grown up online.  The danger is that while they’re technically proficient they may not fully understand all the risks.

“The world’s opened up with social media but it has also opened the world to our kids’ personal lives. Kids will post content that they parents may not know they’re posting – in their own rooms and late at night. This makes it hard for them to stay across their kids’ lives online,” Dom says.

Being aware

It can be tricky to talk to kids about being safe online. They might have the technical skills and may think their parents don’t understand or exaggerate the risks. Plus, they may resist parents’ intrusion into their digital lives. 

“Most kids are just not able to fully appreciate all the potential risks of being online until it’s explained to them in a clear and non-confrontational way,” he says.

“Often they think parents are too concerned about the risks and that they know what they’re doing. But it’s not about parents snooping. It’s about everyone being responsible online. Kids can be unaware that they’re accountable for what they say to one another online just like they are in face-to-face interactions. What’s more, there are laws that prevent bad behaviour like online bullying.

“One of the biggest challenges is for students to understand that they immediately lose ownership of the stuff they post– whether it’s a video, meme, photo or information. Once it’s posted it’s no longer in your control and may be owned by the app or platform they’re using.

“The workshops teach kids to be responsible online and that goes both ways; they need to understand the risks as well as know what’s unacceptable behaviour online.  They also need to be aware of how they fit in with the laws governing online behaviour,” Dom says.

Empowering parents

Parents may feel overwhelmed by the challenge of keeping up with their kids’ online lives. It’s particularly hard when both parents work, and the kids do a lot of their homework online. It can also be difficult to know how to broach the topic of online safety.

“Many parents feel at a loss as to how to help keep up with the emerging online risks,” Dom continues. “But there are many simple steps they can take to prevent their kids from harm like setting the right privacy settings, disallowing some sites and getting access to their kids’ device – depending on age.

“And everyone should remember that kids’ shouldn’t share their passwords with anyone apart from their parents. It’s got nothing to do with mum snooping. It’s about understanding that parents’ job is to keep their kids safe.

“After all, parents are still parents in the digital age. Our role is to provide a framework for good behaviour and to teach kids there are both positive and negative consequences to their actions – that hasn’t and shouldn’t change,” Dom says.

Being open about risks

The Digital Thumbprint Workshops have an important role to play as part of the holistic community-wide approach to digital safety that includes schools, families and friends.

“Our workshops can help navigate the online challenges in a safe and supportive environment that’s with their peers. They cover how to take care of your personal privacy and to be careful about strangers online.

“The topics we cover gives kids and their parents a broad understanding of the risks plus practical tips for protecting their privacy and the rules for online behaviour. They also create a bridge for parents to discuss these issues with their kids without being seen as the ‘fun police’. They can refer to the content in the workshops and make changes in their families with shared buy-in with their kids.

“We can’t have our heads in the sand about it because unfortunately there is a predatory element out there. We take care not to scare kids but to empower them to participate in the digital world in a safe and responsible way.

“The workshops use real life case studies in a way that kids can relate to as well as covering how to determine what’s a credible source of news,” he says.  

Bringing digital safety to school

Optus Digital Thumbprint is a key part of the school curriculum in many schools across Australia including Vermont Secondary College in Victoria. The program has been part of the school life there for 6 years and continues to help with the students’ digital citizenship education journey.

According to Kerri Simpson, Head of eLearning at Vermont Secondary College, “Our school was an early adopter of the Optus Digital Thumbprint Workshops which we have run for our junior and senior students for several years now.  We feel the workshops are an important community service enhanced by the fact that they are free and accessible for all school students.

“Our student and staff feedback shows that they find the workshops informative and enlightening. Students love the interactive nature of the workshops and staff find that they contribute towards more positive online behaviour overall.  Many staff comment on Dom’s consistently impressive ability to engage meaningfully with students over the years.

“Congratulations to the Optus Digital Thumbprint team on reaching their 10,000 workshops milestone, improving the digital literacy of thousands of students across Australia and assisting them to navigate their digital world.”

For more information about the program, head to www.digitalthumbprint.com.au.

At Optus, we want to help create a more inclusive and optimistic future for all. Through our digital enablement strategy, we’re helping young people thrive in today’s world and have confident and positive interactions with each other and digital technology. Our goal is to provide every young child in need, access to digital education and access to free internet connectivity.  We are providing essential tools through programs like Digital Thumbprint.

Register for our workshops here:

https://www.digitalthumbprint.com.au/digital-workshops/

Find more about The Office of the eSafety Commissioner:

https://www.optus.com.au/connected/families/meet-the-esafety-commissioner

If you feel a young person in your life needs help and support, please let them know that Kids Helpline is there for them at any time. Find out more at https://kidshelpline.com.au/or dial 1800 55 1800.

Explore our Family Hub for more great advice and information.