Online safety

How to protect yourself

There are a number of steps you can take to protect yourself online:

• use unique usernames for every account
• use a range of strong passwords or passphrases that are long and unpredictable
• set up multi-factor authentication
• chose security questions that are difficult to guess the answers to, and don’t put the answers online
• set your online accounts to private – you should check your privacy setting regularly as updates can change your privacy settings
• limit the amount of personal information you share online
• turn off location sharing in your apps, avoid posting photos or posts that give away your location or other personal information
• check to see how much of your personal information is available online by searching your name in incognito mode
• only follow or friend people that you know.

To check the strength of your passwords, you can use a password strength tester. For more information, see Passwords on the ID Support NSW website.

For more information about multi-factor authentication, see Turn on multi-factor authentication on the Australian Cybersecurity Centre Website.

If you believe someone may have accessed your online accounts, you can use the Tip sheet – password checklist to update your passwords and secure your online accounts.

How to protect your child

There are a number of things you can do to protect your child online. You can help them to:

• set their online accounts to private, including their apps, social media, and gaming accounts – you should check their privacy setting regularly as updates can change their privacy settings
• delete or unfollow online friends they don’t really know – you should check their online contacts regularly
• delete friend or follow requests from people they don’t know
• report or block anyone who has made unwanted contact with your child.

It is important that you speak to your child about:

• not using their real name on social media and in online chats – instead they should use a nickname or chose a username that doesn’t clearly identify them
• not sharing their phone number, address, or school online
• not sending photographs of themselves to strangers, especially where they can be clearly identified.

For more information, see Protecting children from sexual abuse online on the eSafety Commissioner website.

For younger children, you can use parental controls to prevent them from accessing harmful content, manage the amount of time they spend online and who your child communicates with. Parental controls are software tools that allow you to monitor and limit your child’s online activity. You can find them:

• on your home internet
• in special third-party software
• in apps and programs, including social media platforms, streaming services, web browsers and search engines
• in your devices, such as computers, mobile phones, gaming consoles and smart TVs.

They allow you to:

• stop your child from accessing certain websites, apps, or functions, such as a devices camera
• filter the kind of content your child is exposed to
• limit who can communicate with your child
• manage the apps that your child uses to communicate with people
• monitor your child’s use of devices
• limit the amount of time your child can use a device.

To be effective, they must be set up on all devices that your child uses and reviewed regularly.

For more information, see Parental controls on the eSafety Commissioner website.

Adult cyber abuse

Adult cyber abuse is when someone sends, posts, or shares harmful content with you on an app, online service, or platform. It can include:

• realistic threats, such as threats to expose you, or threats of violence to you
• content that exposes you to physical danger, or is excessively hurtful
• someone repeatedly targeting you.

For information about how to protect yourself, see Adult cyber abuse on the eSafety Commissioner website.

Cyberstalking

Cyberstalking is when someone uses digital technology to constantly track and harass you online. It can be a type of domestic violence. It is often accompanied by physical stalking and can escalate into physical violence.

For information about how to protect yourself, see Cyberstalking on the eSafety Commissioner website.

Image-based abuse

Image-based abuse is when a person shares, or threatens to share, an intimate image without the permission of the person in that image. It is also known as revenge-porn.

For information about how to protect yourself, see Image-based abuse on the eSafety Commissioner website.

Online child sexual abuse

Online child sexual abuse is the use of technology to sexually abuse a child. It covers many different types of actions, including:

• online grooming
• live online child sexual abuse
• producing and sharing child abuse material
• coercing and blackmailing children for sexual purposes.

For information about how to protect your child, see Online child sexual abuse on the eSafety Commissioner website.

Doxing

Doxing is when someone intentionally exposes your identity, private information or personal details online without your consent. Doxing doesn’t just breach your privacy, it can lead to other problems, including:

• public embarrassment, humiliation, or shaming
• cyberstalking
• identity theft
• financial fraud
• anxiety, loss of confidence and self-esteem.

For information about how to protect yourself, see Doxing on the eSafety Commissioner website.

Illegal and restricted content

Illegal and restricted content includes material that shows or encourages child sexual abuse, terrorism, or other extreme violence. If someone has shared, or tried to share, illegal and restricted content with you, you can get help and make an anonymous report.

For information about how to protect yourself, see Illegal and restricted content on the eSafety Commissioner website.