Safety Online

Be careful what you put on the internet, as anyone anywhere can potentially see or read it.

Posting online – where does it go?

Everything you do online can be recorded and saved forever on the servers of the websites and internet providers that you use, even the things you have deleted.

Everything you post online could potentially become public information even if you think it is protected. This includes things like your social media photos and your status updates even if your profile is set to private.

In most cases the police will be able to access online information from the service providers, even what you have protected by passwords. This includes emails and private messages.

It pays to be CyberSmart – take a look at this website for further information on how to stay safe online.

Restricting posts to friends

Limiting your personal details online by restricting posts to close friends only is a good start. You should still be careful what you post as you don’t always know who has access to your friends’ accounts.

Many ‘friends’ may only be ‘acquaintances’ so if possible you should limit how much information you share with them.

Making online friends

It can be fun to make new friends online, however, not everyone is who they say they are. You should always be careful with whom you interact and never give personal information to people you have not met in real life.

The internet, like anywhere else, is filled with people looking for potential targets. They may target you for a financial scam, identity theft or they may be a sexual predator. These people will often gain your trust and collect personal details you provide them.

Never give someone you have met online money or bank account details. If you decide to meet someone from online then do it in a public place, preferably taking a friend with you. Safety should always be your first priority.

Bullying

Bullying is when someone behaves in a way towards another person or group of people to upset or hurt them or damage their property, reputation or acceptance by others. It’s usually repeated behaviour and can be carried out over a number of days but sometimes it can go on for weeks, months or years.

Texts, phone calls, instant messages, blogs, chat, social media, web pages – any form of bullying that uses online communication or mobile phones is cyberbullying. Legally, cyberbullying is the same thing as bullying.

Bullying is never OK. You should always tell someone you trust if you are being bullied, whether online or face to face as bullying is serious and can escalate and result in serious injury if it continues.

If it is happening online then you should block the bully and report them to the website provider, parents or employer straight away. It is not a good idea to respond to their comments as it will not stop their behaviour but instead will make it worse as bullies thrive on reactions.

If it happens at school you should tell your parents, teachers and the principal immediately. Schools have strict bullying policies that mean they have to take action to prevent and stop bullying and keep you safe.

For more information about cyberbullying, and how to get help, you can go to the Australian Human Rights Commission website, or the LawStuff website.

If you are being bullied at work please read more about it here.

If the bullying is becoming a serious concern to you, you may be able to apply for an order against the bully and get the Police involved.

Scams

You should be aware and always know who you are dealing with online.  Check out this section on how to spot a scam.

Differences between states

Western Australia

In the most severe cases, bullying can now be treated as a crime in WA.