The Cybersafety Help Button
Monday, December 06, 2010
Download the cybersafety help button.
The Cybersafety Help Button is a new Australian Government initiative designed to keep children and families safe online. The Cybersafety Help Button is an online resource hub that gives children and teenagers instant access to help and information on cybersafety issues 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The button is a free application available from the website of the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy. Once downloaded, it sits on the computer desktop or within the taskbar. When the button is clicked, users are taken directly to a web page where they can talk, report or learn about cybersafety issues.
The talk function gives a link to Kids Helpline. Users who are worried by cyberbullying or offensive online behaviour or content can phone or chat online to a professional counsellor.
The report function offers direct links to pages on social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter that have site-specific cybersafety information. There are also links for reporting scams, fraud, inappropriate websites and improper behaviour and for contacting the Australian Federal Police.
The learn function provides a range of cybersafety educational resources through the ACMA’s Cybersmart website and the Department’s Stay Smart Online website. Visitors to these sites can learn about cyberbullying, social networking sites, scams and frauds, password protection, viruses and malware, unwanted contact and inappropriate behaviour.
The Cybersafety Help Button was developed in consultation with the Government’s Youth Advisory Group and the Consultative Working Group on Cybersafety.
The Youth Advisory Group—consisting of members aged eight to 17 years—expressed the need for a ‘one-stop shop’ for cybersafety help and information.
The Consultative Working Group consists of industry representatives from Google, Facebook, Yahoo!7, Telstra and Microsoft and non government organisations including the Alannah and Madeline Foundation, Childwise and Bravehearts.
The Cybersafety Help Button is available free of charge at www.dbcde.gov.au/helpbutton. It is compatible with all major PC and Mac operating systems and is easily installed onto home, school and library computers.
For more information on the Cybersafety Help Button email helpbutton@dbcde.gov.au
1Australian Communications and Media Authority 2009, Click and Connect: Young Australians’ use of online social media
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