Digital Thumbprint Program celebrates 10th year

28 July 2023

young boy sitting at a computer screen showing a Optus Digital Thumbprint educational program.

Image credit: Supplied

The Optus Digital Thumbprint Program recently celebrated its 10th anniversary in style by winning the “Contribution to Society” Award at the recent ACOMM Awards 2023, the communications industry’s premier awards for excellence.

The Optus Digital Thumbprint Program team joined the Federal Minister for Communications, The Hon. Michelle Rowland MP and the Shadow Minister for Communications, The Hon. David Coleman MP at the ACOMM Awards 2023 at the Hilton Hotel, Sydney to hear the result.

Launched in 2013, Digital Thumbprint celebrates 10 years of providing digital safety and wellbeing education this year.

According to Helen Maisano, Senior Director, Group Sustainability at Optus, this award is testimony of the success of the Digital Thumbprint Program in helping children, students and their parents to safely navigate the online world.

“We have always been driven by helping young people to achieve, thrive and belong in the digital world and our Digital Thumbprint Program is about creating both a positive and lasting impact on the digital safety and wellbeing of young people and families all over Australia. “I’m so proud of Optus and so very proud of my team and partners in delivering this free program to schools across Australia over the last 10 years and for their dedication to powering optimism with options.

“When we launched Digital Thumbprint in 2013, issues like cyberbullying, image-based abuse, protecting yourself from hackers and contact from strangers were new and emerging. Fast forward to today’s digital world, almost everything is done online and it is incredibly easy for these kinds of issues to arise if the necessary precautions are not taken.

“We have provided free, curriculum-aligned workshops, digital learning materials and online resources to teach young people to participate safely online, equipping them with the tools they need for more positive online experiences.

“Digital Thumbprint is a national program that’s delivered either by highly qualified facilitators in the classroom, or by teachers using an interactive digital platform. It’s a model that’s proved very popular as it provides flexibility to schools, individual students and their families to learn about online safety.

"The program has been endorsed by the e-Safety Commissioner as a Trusted eSafety Provider, and we are delighted that over 552,000 primary and secondary aged students have participated in the program since its inception in 2013.

“We continue to invest and expand the program to ensure that primary and secondary students, as well as families are supported with digital safety and wellbeing education and resources,” Helen said.

Optus won two awards at the ACOMMS Award 2023 awards, find out more.

Optus Digital Thumbprint supports digital safety and wellbeing for young people and families. Find out more at www.digitalthumbprint.com.au

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