Helpful tips from Optus for your family during the school holidays

We know that school holidays can be a chaotic time for families. Read on to see some helpful tips from Optus for you at those times when the holidays become stressful - when you’re trying to work from home and the kids are all gaming and streaming around you, for those long hours spent travelling and the kids expect to be constantly entertained, when you get home from work and realise your grumpy child’s screen time tripled that day… and so on!

Getting ready for a full house? Are your kids having friends over during the school holidays? Optus Internet Turbocharge puts you in control of your connection by giving you the power to turbocharge your home internet speeds for 24 hours for an additional $5. Like all Optus Living Network tools, switching on an Internet Turbocharge is easy in My Optus app.

Ideal for those days when you need to keep your kids occupied with YouTube Premium videos at home (subscription required for YouTube Premium), Internet Turbocharge lets you enjoy the very best of the Optus network for a whole day.

Save up to 10% on YouTube Premium when you group three or more eligible subscriptions on Optus SubHub.

Enjoying a quick trip with your kids this school holidays? Tablets can be a great way to keep the kids entertained while your family is travelling.

Whether it’s a road trip or a layover at the airport, sometimes you need some extra data to get you through. That’s where Unlimited Data Day comes in handy. The kids can stream, watch and play to their hearts’ content and it’s only an extra $5 a day per service, with selected mobile plans. Unlock your Unlimited Data Day now on My Optus app. Enjoy responsibly. T&Cs apply

Keep the kids entertained these school holidays with all their favourite shows on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Paramount+, BINGE, and YouTube Premium (with in-built parental controls), with subscriptions available to eligible customers via SubHub. For a family of readers, you can also link your Kindle Unlimited account via SubHub. All the streaming and entertainment your family loves in one easy-to-manage place.

The best part? Bring three or more eligible services together on Optus SubHub to save up to 10% off the lot, every month. Eligible customers and services. Group discounts apply outside free/trial periods. Optus Sport is not further discounted. T&Cs apply.

Want to add a tablet to your family’s entertainment ecosystem? Shop the latest tablets here.

We also have a great range of budget phones for when your kids are ready for their first phone. To help you decide if they’re ready you can access these handy resources free -  with the Optus Digital Thumbprint First Phone Readiness guide and quiz.

It’s easy to accidentally let your kids spend too much time on their devices, especially during the school holidays. Optus Pause is a great tool to help eligible customers make sure your kids are having regular digital breathers during the holidays so that they can enjoy some time outdoors and with the rest of the family too.

Free for all eligible Optus customers, Optus Pause is available on the My Optus app. Simply log on to the app, select the eligible Optus mobile and home WiFi connections and choose which devices to pause (or keep connected). T&Cs apply. With Optus Pause, you can manage your kids’ time online and stop the endless scrolling before bed.

The holidays are a great time to do a pulse check on your family’s digital safety and wellbeing. Check out the Digital Balance Quiz to see if your child understands how to take a digital breather.  Optus Digital Thumbprint supports digital safety and wellbeing with educational workshops, guides and resources for young people and families.

Here are some of the resources you and your family can access to help make the holidays both enjoyable and safe online.

For young people

1. Blocking unwanted contact guide
2. Cyberbullying quiz
3. Cyberbullying: what to do when things go wrong guide
4. Digital Balance quiz
5. Fake friends and fake profiles quiz
6. Hackers, scammers and fake friends guide
7. Lifehacks for a balanced time online guide
8. Passphrases, passwords and MFA guide and quiz
9. Protecting personal information quiz
10. Scammers and fake friends quiz

For Families

• Balancing time online guide
• Blocking unwanted contact for your child guide
• Cyberbullying: What to say when things go wrong online guide
• First Phone Readiness guide and quiz
• Passphrases, passwords and MFA for your child guide
• Recognising hackers, scammers and fake friends guide
• Safeguard your child’s privacy on popular apps and games guide
• Stay ahead of scams through family discussions guide

Keep your family happy and entertained this school holidays with Optus. Learn more about our family connectivity tips family connectivity tips.

Easily manage your eligible subscriptions by bringing them together in one place with one simple payment each month. Save up to 10% on subscriptions including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Paramount+, BINGE, BritBox, YouTube Premium and more when you link them to Optus SubHub. T&Cs apply.

_{This is an updated article that was first published on 15 September 2023.}