Crime Stoppers have launched a free online module teaching high school students how to use digital devices safely, and investigating cyberbullying, online abuse, scams, and child sexual exploitation – all issues that concern teenagers.

Identity theft

Personal identity theft was the most common issue for teenagers, said Diana Forrester, chair of Crime Stoppers Australia and ACT Region Crime Stoppers. Scammers try to steal money or personal information, the eSafety Commissioner’s website warns, while marketers can also misuse that data.

“Cybercriminals cause great hardship and financial strain on victims of identity theft,” explained an ACT Policing spokesperson. “The aftermath of having your identity stolen can take years to repair.

“Cybercriminals create fake identity documents with your personal information to steal your money, get loans in your name, and use your name to create real identity documents with another person’s photograph.

“Scammers don’t see their victims as real people or consider how their actions have such a devastating effect for their victims; all they see is information on a website that can make them money.”

The eSafety website gives advice on how to protect your identity, including private browsing, and logging out of social media accounts. Advice from the police is at the end of this article.

Sexual exploitation

Young people were particularly at risk from unwanted contact (online communication that children find unpleasant or upsetting, or that leads them into unsafe situations) and grooming (building a relationship with a child to sexually abuse them), the eSafety Commissioner’s site states. According to the 2017 report, 30% were contacted by a stranger / someone not known to them; 20% received inappropriate, unwanted content such as pornography or violent material.

“Teenagers are led astray by cybercriminals online,” Ms Forrester said. “Children are encouraged to photograph themselves, or they’re groomed for sexual exploitation by someone they have no idea isn’t a potential friend; they meet them, and they disappear, or worse. Those are the aspects that terrify me as a parent.”

To protect yourself from unwanted contact, make your accounts private, delete contacts you don’t talk to, and delete requests from strangers. Young people should talk to a trusted adult; take screenshots of anything that makes them feel uncomfortable; report and block the other person; and if the issue continues, talk to eSafety or the police.

The Australian Federal Police have a dedicated education program to help children and parents/carers in this area.

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying can include posting mean comments or messages, excluding or ignoring someone, tricking or humiliating them through fake accounts, or sharing a photo or video that will make them feel bad, Ms Grant said. Threatening to share an intimate image without the consent of the person in it (such as a naked selfie) is image-based abuse.

“Cyberbullying can be harder to recognise than face-to-face bullying, simply because it happens online,” Ms Grant said. “Unlike playground bullying, it can happen 24/7.”

According to the eSafety report, almost one-third (30%) of teenagers said their negative online experience related to bullying at school; 16% were deliberately excluded from events or social groups; 15% received online threats or abuse; and another 15% had things said online to damage their reputation.

Online bullying affects mental health, Ms Forrester said; it can cause isolation and illness, and even drive some teenagers to suicide. “Children keep away from school and learning because they’re under so much stress, and sometimes they don’t understand why they’re depressed.”

Young people can report cyberbullying to eSafety at www.esafety.gov.au/report. eSafety advises young people not to respond to bullying, but to take screenshot evidence, report and block the bully, and talk to someone. eSafety can remove serious cyberbullying material.

Cyberbullying can be a criminal offence, an ACT Policing spokesperson warned; using a carriage service to menace or harass has a maximum penalty of three years’ imprisonment. The majority of incidents, however, do not result in charges; police work with the parents and the school to resolve the underlying issues.

Labor MLA Dr Marisa Paterson became concerned about cyberbullying of children after seeing adults bully and abuse each other on Facebook noticeboards. How kids engage on Snapchat, TikTok, and other social media platforms is less accountable and less clear cut than Facebook, she thinks.

“Be respectful,” she urged. “Think whether you would say that to someone face to face. I think a lot of people post online without considering how the other person might feel, and how it may be interpreted.”

Call out bad behaviour when you see it – not just online, but to the platforms, who should take it down. “These platforms do need to take responsibility for the content they allow to be shared there,” she said.

The ACT Government’s Education Directorate has an ongoing eSafety program to address and prevent bullying, cybercrime, harassment, and violence, including cyberbullying and online abuse, a government spokesperson said. An eSafety officer holds workshops for public school students, staff professional learning workshops, and family eSafety information sessions, and helps those schools to respond to online incidents.

Other ways to stay safe

The esafety.gov.au website has dedicated sections for children, young people, parents and carers, and educators.

The eSafety Toolkit for Schools is designed to support schools to create safer online environments, including dealing with online safety incidents.

eSafety offers regular free parent webinars to keep parents and carers up to date with the latest online safety issues.

To protect your identity, ACT Policing recommends:

• Limit the amount of personal information you place online.
• Regularly review your security and privacy settings on the apps and devices you use.
• Ensure your software is up to date.
• Keep your financial details safe.
• Avoid malware by only using trusted websites.
• Take the time to review emails or SMS’s, especially those purporting to be from financial institutions or Government agencies.
• Report any scams to www.scamwatch.gov.au.

ACT Policing advises the public to carefully look into an online seller before entering your personal details on their website, as scammers create fake websites to steal your identity and money.

Some tips to ensure a seller is legitimate:

• Check if they have a blue tick on the profile name when shopping on a Facebook page;
• Make sure the page is public when shopping on Instagram;
• Type the web address into your browser instead of clicking on the web link in an email or advertisement so you are not led to a fake website; and
• Search for other web pages/profiles by that seller to compare logos, business names and contact details to ensure it’s not a fake seller or copycat web page.

ACT Policing encourages victims of identity theft to contact iDcare on 1300 IDCARE (432273) for support, and to report the scam to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) via their report a scam page. 

For tips and information about identity theft and how to best protect yourself and your family, visit the identity theft page on cyber.gov.au.