This document discusses protection of students online and existing threats and solutions. It outlines existing threats students face such as spam, fraud, identity theft, and cyberbullying. It also discusses existing solutions implemented by the Australian government, schools, parents, and websites designed to promote online safety. Potential ways to improve the situation are also suggested, including continued education and awareness efforts and collaboration between stakeholders.

1. Protection of
Students Online
BY
WABEL AL WABEL

2. Outline
 Introduction
 Existing Threats
 Existing Solutions
 Possible Ways to Improve the Situation
 Conclusion

3. Introduction
 Development of technology has opened up new horizons
in the field of education. Availability of technology
contributes to students’ use of ICT. Students may use
numerous online resources to research various topics, to
prepare presentations, complete their projects, share
information with their peers and educators.
 For instance, the table shows that at present more than
60% of households with children have computers with
Internet access.
 However, there is also the dark side of technology. The
Australian Department of Health has set the following
recommendations: children should spend no more than 2
hours a day at computers. There are particular health
issues that may arise as a result to the lasting exposure to
the screen, lack of exercise and lack of fresh air.
 According to Houghton (2015), 60% of Australian children
exceed the recommended 2-hour limit. At that, it has been
found that boys spend over 30 hours a week and girls
spend more than 21 hours a week. Of course, this can
negatively affect children’s health.
Source: Australian Social Trends (2011)
Access to ICT in Australian Households

4. Introduction
0 20 40 60 80 100
Watched TV
Listen Music, Watch Videos
Google
Research, web Use for School Work
Download Music, Videos
Email
Playing Games
Kik/Tumblr/Instagram
Facebook
Instant Messenger
MMORG
Online Shopping
Twitter
The Use of ICT  According to Houghton (2015), only 60% of the children and
adolescents use ICT for study. This includes research,
completing tasks (typing) and so on. This suggests that young
users often misuse online resources and may need certain
guidance and encouragement to use ICT for their studies
more extensively.
 It is also clear that the vast majority of children use their
computers to watch TV and listen to music. More than 80%
browse the internet (and Google seems to be the primary
source of information). Importantly, this browsing can be, at
least, partially associated with studies.
 Social networking is also an important part of children’s and
adolescents’ lives. The number of children using Facebook,
Twitter and instant messengers is significant as, on average,
40% of respondents use these resources. It is also necessary
to add that social networks are often associated various types
of fraud and/or bullying.
 Browsing the Internet is also related to these issues. When
browsing various websites young users can be exposed to
inappropriate information and can become victims of fraud.

5. Existing Threats
There are numerous undesirable outcomes of the use of ICT (Protecting personal information, 2015):
Spam
•It can be any type of information (usually advertisements). However, it can also be associated with various scams as scammers often try to find their
victims sending spam messages to their emails. Apart from being a hazard, spam can be quite annoying.
Cookies
•The so-called cookies are certain tools that enable a website to save personal settings. Thus, personal information can be extracted with the help of
cookies. This information can be used for fraud and other unlawful activities.
Fraud
• Fraud is associated with stealing information, money or other resources with the use of personal information.
Identity
theft
•Identity theft is one of the types of fraud. It presupposes using personal information (and pretending to be someone else) to get some benefits (money,
information and so on).
Scams
• Scams are often sent via email, or SMS and MMS. These include fake lotteries, phishing (messages that are claimed to be sent from reputable
institutions asking some confirmations of or requests to reenter passwords, IDs and so on). The so-called Nigerian 419 scam when there is an email
where a person offers the receiver to pay some (quite considerable) amount of money (for instance, to access a fortune) and in return the receive is
promised to be paid some part of it.

6. Existing Threats
Cyberbullying
 Cyberbullying is another serious threat.
Abrahams and Johnson (2015) report that
about 21% of Australians aged between 8
and 14 are victims of cyberbullying.
 Victims of cyberbullying feel depressed,
scared, anxious. Many victims commit
suicide, as they cannot find the way out.
Bullies can also feel depressed or uneasy
about their deeds. Both bullies and their
victims may need psychological assistance.
 This short video provides some insights into
the feelings of cyberbullies and victims of
cyberbullying.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_q9LnmMhaI

7. Existing Solutions
Funding
TheOfficeoftheChildren'se-Safety
Commissioner
TheEnhancingOnlineSafetyforChildren
Billof2014
The Enhancing
Online Safety
for Children
Bill of 2014
pays special
attention to
cyberbullying
and other
threats
associated
with the ICT
use.
The
government
also
established the
Office of the
Children's e-
Safety
Commissioner
that focuses
on cyber
safety. The
office aims at
developing
effective
measures to
prevent
cyberbullying
through
training.
The
government
will spend $10
million during
2014 and 2015
to fund
numerous
online
programs
aimed at
raising
awareness on
cyber safety as
well as to fund
research on
online safety.
The Australian government has undertaken various steps to address the issues associated
with cyber safety.

8. Existing Solutions
Educators pay considerable attention to proper use of ICT:
 Proper ICT practices as a part of curriculum:
Proper ICT practices have become a part of curriculum. At that, teachers educate
students as well as their parents to use ICT effectively and safely.
 School policies in the sphere of responsible use of ICT
Schools’ codes of conduct contain considerable amount of information on online resources
available to and helpful for students. The codes also touch upon responsible use of online
resources (including information on responsible behavior online).
 School policies in the sphere of online safety
Schools’ codes of conduct also include guidelines in the sphere of online safety. This
includes data on hazards and ways to avoid them, as well as information on preventing
bullying or responding to it properly.

9. Existing Solutions
According to the research conducted in 2009,
parents used several measures to protect
their children (Australian Social Trends,
2011).
 Notably, in the vast majority of cases, parents
used a combination of some or all measures
mentioned here. It is clear that supervision and
control is the most preferable step undertaken.
 Education and training are also very important
and parents utilise this method extensively.
 Parents also tend to place computers in areas
where the child’s activities can be easily
supervised.
 Finally, parents also put the necessary filters to
protect their children.
Parents’ Actions to Ensure Their
Children’s Safety Online
Source: Australian Social Trends (2011)

10. Existing Solutions
It is also necessary to mention such
brilliant websites as:
 Cybersmart :
http://www.cybersmart.gov.au/default.aspx
 Stay Smart Online:
http://www.staysmartonline.gov.au/
 eSmart Schools:
http://www.amf.org.au/eSmartschools/
These websites provide
diverse and helpful information
for students who want to know
more about effective and safe
use of ICT. Of course,
educators actively refer to
these resources in terms of
the ICT training. At the same
time, students are encouraged
to use these resources in a
variety of settings.

11. Existing Solutions
Skooville (https://www.skooville.com/#about) is another useful website. However, it
needs specific attention as it can be regarded as an illustration of a safe zone for
students (especially younger ones).

12. Existing Solutions
There are numerous benefits of such
websites. Keep away from harmful
resources
 First, they keep children away from
harmful resources or resources they
cannot work effectively with.
 These website keep children safe as
there is no harmful or inappropriate
information.
 They also teach how to use online
resources responsibly and safely.

13. Possible Ways to Improve the Situation
It is clear that all stakeholders involved should continue making effort to
improve the situation. These stakeholders are the government, NGOs,
schools, software producers and parents.
Government
Non-
Governmental
Organisations
Educational
establishments
Software
developers
Parents

14. Of course, the Australian government should make sure that
the existing policies are updated and effective.
 Governmental agencies should implement numerous surveys and researches to
reveal the gaps in the policies and provide the necessary recommendations to
improve them. The research should address such areas as outcomes of policies,
efficiency of funding, new trends and hazards, new opportunities, students’ use of
ICT and so on.
 It is also important for governmental agencies to collaborate with non-governmental
organisations, software developers, commercial companies and educators. This
collaboration presupposes sharing information, work on projects and so on. This
collaboration may also involve provision of some benefits or certain tax relieve to
organisations that develop safe websites or contribute to development of safety
software.
 The government should also develop proper sanctions to those software producers
that do not pay the necessary attention to online safety and responsibility.
Possible Ways to Improve the Situation
Government

15. Possible Ways to Improve the Situation
Training and
education
• Non-governmental
organisations should
take an active part in
training and education
of young Internet
users. These
organisations should
launch various projects
involving educators,
officials, parents and
students.
Implementation of
research and
surveys
•NGOs should also
implement further
research on the matter
as this will enable
officials to address the
existing gaps and make
the cyber world safer.
Contribution to
development of
safe websites
• Many NGOs are
involved in
development of
various websites and,
hence, they can also
develop safe websites
for students’ use
(something similar to
Skooville).
Sharing
information with
other stakehold
• Finally, these
organisations should
also provide data to
the government,
schools and so on to
make sure that all the
stakeholders are well-
informed.
Non-
Governmental
Organisations

16. Possible Ways to Improve the
Situation
 Focus on education and
training in the sphere of
online safety and
responsible behaviour
 Updating codes of
conduct
 Monitoring students’
online behaviour (focus
on detection of such
issues as cyberbullying
and so on)
 Development of
corresponding software
 Schools should be the most active participants in the process. Of
course, the primary goal of these establishments is to teach and train
students, so schools should provide efficient training of students when
it comes to online safety and responsible behaviour.
 Furthermore, all educational establishments should make sure that
they have codes of conduct that address the issues associated with
online safety. These codes of conduct should be updated regularly.
 It is also necessary to monitor students’ accounts and their behaviour
online. This can be carried out through school websites and school
social networks.
 Finally, educational establishments should also make sure that
software they have is reliable and appropriate. Schools should
contribute to development of proper software that will meet particular
requirements and will be consistent with the school’s code of conduct.
Educational
establishments

17. Possible Ways to Improve the Situation Software
developers
Be responsible
• In the first place, software
developers should be
responsible. They should
understand that their
products can be
potentially harmful. These
companies (as well as
individuals) should try to
enhance cyber safety.
Collaborate with other
stakeholders
• Software developers
should also participate in
various projects and
share information with the
government, or other
stakeholders. Of course,
this does not mean that
companies have to reveal
their commercial secrets
of confidential
information. However, it
could be favourable if
software developers
detected harmful
software and informed
the stakeholders about
their findings. This would
enhance online safety.
Be full of initiative
• Finally, these companies
should be full of initiative
to really make a
difference and make the
cyber world safe for
children and young users.

18. Possible Ways to Improve the Situation
 Be cautious
Of course, parents should remember that they are responsible for their children’s
safety, first and foremost. They cannot rely on the government or educators and do
nothing. Therefore, parents should remain cautious and supervise their child’s use
of ICT.
 Be responsible
The measures mentioned above should be utilised in the future as well. Hence,
parents should install filters, monitor their children’s activity, educate and train
them, address educators to share ideas on online safety.
 Be active
Parents should always remember that their children need guidance and training.
They should also understand that educators cannot foresee all hazardous
situations and if a parent detects a potential hazard, he/she should address
educators who will be able to react correspondingly.
Parents

19. Possible Ways to Improve the Situation
Apart from governmental efforts and activities of educators and officials, each person can remain safe. Each user
should remember about major rules when using the Internet. Particular actions to undertake are as follows:
Students as well as their parents and teachers should:
 Disclose financial information on reliable and secure websites only (these can be governmental (.gov) or
educational (.edu) websites, or these can be websites of well-known companies).
 Read carefully privacy policies (when registering or downloading anything, it is crucial to read all the privacy
policies carefully and if there is something suspicious or unwanted (for example, you should agree to share
your personal information with third parties), you should refrain from using this website).
 Use spam filters. This easy step can significantly reduce the amount of spam bombarding emails.
 Have a specific email for registrations. It can also be a good idea to have a particular email for registration as
it will secure personal information that can be extracted from an account.
 Select your password and login carefully. Of course, it is crucial to make sure that the password is not easy to
guess. It is inappropriate to use own name or a name of a close one, date of birth, or any other information
that can be easily traced.
Users should not:
 Answer emails asking to provide your passwords or personal information. Banks or any reputable companies
do not address clients (especially via email) asking them to provide a password or any personal information. It
is better to call to the bank or the company asking why the information is needed.
 Users should not allow the use of their personal information. Of course, it is important to make sure that
personal data will not be used by third parties.

20. Conclusion
In conclusion, it is necessary to note that online safety remains one of the major
priorities of the Australian government, educators as well as many individuals.
 Technology is available to the vast majority of Australians and children are
especially vulnerable as the cyber world contains numerous hazards. Various
scams, frauds as well as cyberbullying still pose significant threats to proper
development of Australian children.
 It is also important to add that the Australian government as well as other
stakeholders have undertaken numerous efficient steps to address the issue.
There are effective policies and projects, various organisations contribute to
development of software to ensure online safety. Educators train young users
to use the Internet safely and effectively.
 However, it is crucial to continue working in the same direction. The world is
changing and the cyber world is not becoming much safer in spite of the effort
made. Of course, there will still be scams and harmful software. Hence,
education and training (as well as individual responsibility) are the most
effective measures to utilise when addressing issues associated with online
safety.

21. Reference List
Abrahams, N., & Johnson, D. (2015, February 10). Cyberbullying and why we
need an e-safety commissioner. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved from
http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/digital-life-news/cyberbullying-and-why-we-
need-an-esafety-commissioner-20150210-13adxk.html
Australian social trends. (2011). Retrieved from
http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4102.0Main+Features60
Jun+2011
Houghton, S., Hunter, S.C., Rosenberg, M., Wood, L., Zadow, C., Martin, K., &
Shilton, T. (2015). Virtually impossible: Limiting Australian children and
adolescents daily screen based media use. BMC Public Health, 15(5), 1-11.
Protecting personal information. (2015). Retrieved from
http://www.cybersmart.gov.au/Schools/Cyber%20issues/Protecting%20perso
nal%20information.aspx

22. Thank You!