From the Deputies

From the Deputies

This week, Y3-Y6 students attended an incursion with “Ctrl+Shft” (formerly Safe on Social) Being Safe, Smart and Strong Online, presented by Will Anstee. Below you will find a few of the key takeaways and guidelines from this enlightening session. It would be wonderful if you could continue the conversation with your son/s at home.

Years 3-4:

  • Use their real-world sensibilities online.  Follow their gut if something doesn’t feel right and always escalate to their parents. 
  • Think like a spy – don’t give away your life story to a stranger, never share pics (unless privacy settings in full force by app), don’t accept requests from strangers, even if they think they know it’s a friend. Set-up code words amongst friends and if they sense someone isn’t being true to their word, ask them for the code word. i.e. French Fries.
  • Escalate any issue to a parent/carer. No issue is too small. Do not take on responsibility to solve any online issue.

Years 5-6:

  • Everything you do online stays forever and could impact your future self. Therefore, think before you type or speak (warrior keyboard analogy), even if angry, to future proof their digital footprint.
  • Protect their personal data at all costs. Do not consent to Terms and Conditions of any digital/social platform. Always get consent from a parent. Otherwise, their data (data farming) could be sold on the black market for advertising purposes, re-targeting, etc, all of which is illegal for U16 .
  • Synthetic Friendships (character.ai) and deep fakes are exploding. Will used examples of Billee The Chatbot (Kendell Jenner). In short, trust no-one and use common sense i.e. why would Kendell Jenner be doing this?  They never know who they are talking to online and the last thing anyone wants is for them to be sextorted, shamed, embarrassed amongst peers/friends, etc. And if that did ever happen, they must immediately tell their parents (it is not their fault and there is no shame) for their own mental health and happiness.

Other areas we covered:

  • Take control of your online life
  • The Australian Social Media Ban
  • Responsible online behaviour
  • Group Chats
  • Online Gaming / Play Smart
  • Same rules apply in the on-line world as off-line world. i.e. Shopping Centre
  • Boundaries and Screen Times
  • Sleep is your superpower
  • Online Grooming
  • Cyberbullying and what to do next (Report to ACCCE and Online Safety Commissioner)


Kind regards
Grant Andrews, Richard Baker and Genet Erickson Adam