Spotlight On Helping Parents Protect Kids From Online Harm

Child safety advocates in Aotearoa are calling on parents to learn more to protect their children from online harm.

Child Safeguarding Week, starting Monday September 2, is an annual campaign brought to you by Safeguarding Children that is aimed at empowering communities to take action to prevent child abuse and neglect in Aotearoa.

Established by Safeguarding Children in 2020, the campaign, which changes its theme each year, provides a platform to increase public awareness of the many ways we can keep our children safe.

This year the focus is on raising awareness of the challenges children face in the today’s digital world.

“The internet is a huge part of our lives now, which is why it’s so important to open up the conversation about online safety when it comes to our kids. It's not just about protecting them from immediate dangers but also about empowering them to navigate digital space responsibly and confidently,” says Safeguarding Children CEO Willow Duffy.

A 2018 study by the Office of Film and Literature Classification found more than two-thirds of New Zealand teenagers have been exposed to pornography, and one in four have seen it by the age of 12.

“The reality is it’s incredibly easy for our children to access inappropriate content… a lot of the time they might stumble across it accidentally,” says Duffy.

Safeguarding Children, through the Child Safeguarding Week website, has created a ‘one-stop-shop’ of resources for parents including webinars and podcasts, to help them keep their kids safe online.

New Zealand’s own world leading experts, including Violence Prevention Educator Dr Emma Barker-Clarke and Nikkie Denholm, Director of the Light Project share their knowledge on subjects that include supporting rangatahi to navigate the new online sexual landscape, and peer-to-peer harm in online spaces.

Netsafe CEO Brent Carey, will also discuss the many ways parents can keep their kids safe online.

Duffy says parents have a crucial role to play to keep their children safe from harmful content.

“It’s about being brave. We have to stop seeing the internet as a separate part of our children’s lives where we don’t go. It’s a hard conversation to open up, but the benefits are huge. This is exactly where our resources on the website will help people”

Duffy says knowledge and insight are two powerful places to start. The Child Safeguarding Week website contains resources, webinars and podcasts for parents navigating the journey to help their kids be safe online.

“That’s what this week is all about - empowering parents to feel confident in taking that first step.”

Parents can access the resources, including free webinars here: www.childsafeguardingweek.org.nz

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