Mythbusting

Young people spending time in online environments are exposed to a lot of hearsay from friends and online communities that can, at times, exacerbate risk taking behaviour. It is important to know the facts when communicating with young people about online harms, to show some personal competency (yeah, you know a thing or two about what’s really going on!), and to have informed and robust discussions that educate your child without confrontation or seriousness. Here are some common misconceptions that may provoke healthy discussion.

Nudes

Myth: Heaps of young people send nudes. It’s a normal part of dating these days.
Truth: Incorrect. Most young people do not send nudes. The problem is once they are sent, they are often likely to be shared on.
Solution: Don’t be tempted to send. Most people look after themselves first, and don’t give into these requests.

Social Media

Myth: Social media isn’t harmful. It’s easy to just ignore things there.
Truth: Incorrect. Social Media can be harmful. In fact in 2020, TikTok removed over 500 million videos for breaching their rules.
Solution: It’s important we report these videos to protect others too. I can show you how.

Explicit Content

Myth: Kids mostly go to adult websites the first time they see porn.
Truth: Incorrect – most are exposed via social media.
Solution – Let’s put on restricted modes to filter and avoid this content on social media and search engines you use.

Scams

Myth: People don’t really get scammed that often.
Truth: From Jan to June 2022 88,551 people were scammed in Australia. The total amount lost was $257,145,767. It’s happening to people just like you and me. A lot.
Solution: It’s important we all become more vitigant online, keeping our personal information private, and learn about scams so we can avoid them. It’s important to speak to trusted adults if you aren’t sure and reinforce to young people that they won’t get in trouble if they come to you.