Tips on how to stay safe online during the COVID-19 pandemic

Latest blogposts

Explore eSafety's latest blogposts

Domestic violence
Women

Calling out technological tethers in coercive control

The eSafety Commissioner calls for technology-facilitated abuse to be addressed by the NSW Joint Select Committee on Coercive Control.
Industry
Kids

UNCRC General Comment: Children’s rights in the digital world

Governments, regulators, digital companies and advocates need to ensure innovation and investment genuinely have the best interests of children at heart.
Parents
Cyberbullying

Want to confront your child's cyberbully? Think before you act!

If your child is being cyberbullied you may want to rush in to help them. But beware! Follow these tips so you don't make the situation worse.
Parents
Education

How to support your child to play confidently online

It's important to get your child into the habit of asking for help when they are using digital devices, so they come to you when they face safety risks.
Parents
Education

Back-to-school: top tips for parents

The back-to-school period is a great time to review your child’s online safety.
Image-based abuse
Reporting

The risky business of making money from nudes and other intimate content

We discuss what can go wrong when Australians attempt to make money from their intimate content and how eSafety may be able to help.
Industry
Parents

Protection of children should always trump protection of privacy

After decades working across online privacy, security and safety, the eSafety Commissioner has never been more fearful for children online.
Reporting
Industry

Another big year keeping Australians safer online 

The rise in Australians working, studying and socialising online due to COVID-19 has brought unanticipated challenges for eSafety in 2019-20.
Parents
Education

Online reasoning skills for kids are critical

Our kids need to use good judgement and critical thinking to keep them safe online, sort fact from fiction and combat misinformation.
Safety by Design
Industry
Research

Building a culture of online safety is much more than a tick box exercise

We are developing two dynamic and interactive Safety by Design self-assessment tools for early stage and more established tech companies.
Limiting your child’s exposure to social media
Parents

Limiting your child’s exposure to social media — sometimes the hardest, but the smartest move.

Limiting your child’s exposure to social media — sometimes the hardest, but the smartest move.
Women
Domestic violence

Combatting technology-facilitated abuse within gendered violence

Violence and abuse against women is a scourge on our society. Online, it's often a deliberate tactic to silence women’s voices.

Protecting voices at-risk online

The pandemic has revealed not only how fundamental technology has become to the way we work, learn, socialise and access key information and services, but also how online environments can be weaponised to perpetuate abuse.
Investing in a safer internet
Industry

Investing in a safer internet

This week, four tech titans – Google, Apple, Amazon and Facebook – find themselves in the virtual hot-seat as they testify before the U.S.
Fight or flight?
Parents

Fight or flight? 4 tips to get involved with your child’s social media

Not sure where to start? 4 tips to help you get involved with your child’s social media safety.
5th Birthday
Industry

5 years of eSafety a reflection of the road ahead

To mark our 5th birthday, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant reflects on the road travelled, and the road ahead
Education

eSafety sets a framework for A+ online safety education

The importance of online safety education
Parents

5 things to look for in an app

If you’re a parent or carer with young kids who are just starting their own online journey, the idea of online safety can seem daunting at first.
Education

Keeping universities safer online

Universities have always thought of themselves as communities, from the ancient idea of the “community of scholars,” right through to the modern university, which is so much more reflective of the broader community around it.
Women

COVID-19: online safety help for women

If you are the target of online abuse remember, it is not your fault. Follow these practical steps you can take to protect yourself and to deal with the abuse.
Education

COVID-19: 5 steps to keep students safe during online learning

Rapid transition has increased and intensified a range of online safety risks for students, teachers and parents

Why Zoom bombed when it should have soared

As COVID-19 changed the way the world works, learns and plays, Zoom rapidly became the darling of the internet.
Reporting

All nations confront an online threat to children

Just as we are all practicing social distancing and frequent hand-washing during the COVID-19 pandemic, so must we model responsible, safe and respectful behaviour online, too. 
Reporting

COVID-19: Online risks, reporting and response

The COVID-19 crisis has brought about a major shift in the online behavior of Australians. Though almost unimaginable now, only a few weeks have passed since workers and students filled offices, schools and universities in person.
Domestic violence

COVID-19: online safety help for domestic and family violence workers

The technology we use to stay connected can also be used to inflict domestic and family violence.
Parents

COVID-19: Protecting children from online abuse

Tips to reduce your child's exposure to unwanted contact online, particularly from sexual predators.
Reporting

Christchurch shifted the online world on its axis

Targeted regulatory interventions, including Abhorrent Violent Material laws and ISP blocking protocols, are critical to combatting the spread of terrorism online.
Parents

COVID-19: an online safety kit for parents and carers

Make the best of being stuck at home by ensuring you can find reliable information, stay connected with family and friends, and help your children stay safe online.
Education

COVID-19: keeping schools and learning safe online

How schools can support students, staff and families online during COVID-19.
Seniors

COVID-19: online safety tips to help older Australians with social distancing

How to use the internet safely to monitor the coronavirus situation, stay connected and shop while practising social distancing.
Women

Help for Australian women online

In seeking equality we need to consider a range of options to reduce the online abuse of women.
Reporting

End-to-end encryption: a challenging quest for balance

End-to-end encryption needs to protect safety while also ensuring security and privacy, so it doesn't faciltate criminal activities like the sharing of child sexual abuse material.
Education

Making our schools safer online

This week we have launched our eSafety Toolkit for Schools, a suite of resources designed to support schools in creating safer online environments.
Parents

Dangerous online challenges are never funny

Parents and educators can help arm young people against online challenges that show participants being harmed or humiliated.
eSafety early years online safety for under fives
Parents

Bring on the photo consent debate – our kids will emerge the winners

On Safer Internet Day, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant urges parents to make the most of opportunities to model positive online behaviour.
Parents

Big Ted’s tech tips for 2020: good online habits start early

In 2020, eSafety is starting where it often counts the most: at the very beginning.

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eSafety acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, and to Elders past, present and emerging. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be aware that this website may contain images and voices of people who have died.