Monday, February 2020
Keeping kids cybersafe is the leading concern for Queensland parents raising children in the digital age, according to the latest Life Education Queensland parent survey.
More than 2,500 parents of school-aged children submitted their responses during 2019 as part of our online parent competition, revealing cybersafety was their number one concern, followed by obesity, cyberbullying, smoking and mental health.
Parents were asked to rate their top concerns from a list of eight key issues which also included alcohol, illegal drugs and sexual health.
Parent feedback
Life Education Queensland CEO Michael Fawsitt said the fact that parents rank cybersafety as a chief concern reflects the challenges many are experiencing when it comes to helping their children navigate an online world.
“The consistent feedback we receive from parents is that keeping kids safe online is a significant worry, and an area where parents sometimes feel their skills are lacking,” Mr Fawsitt said.
“At Life Education, through our bCyberwise program, we’re able to reach thousands of children each year with important messages on cybersafety, cyber ethics, keeping personal information safe online and strategies on how to handle bullying including cyberbullying.
“This is important, because parents frequently tell us that sometimes children are reluctant to hear health and safety messages at home, so having them reinforced by our experienced program educators, with the help of Healthy Harold, is a fun and informative way to empower kids with the knowledge and skills they need to stay safe.”
Techwell partnership and prizes
The parent survey continues in 2020 in partnership with Techwell, giving entrants the chance to win $4000 in technology prizes simply by sharing feedback on the Life Education program.
To be in the technology draw, parents (or anyone over 18) can complete the short survey, explaining what their child learned during the Life Education program and/or their top issues of concern in relation to children’s health and wellbeing.
Techwell general manager Lindsay Bell said the company was delighted to partner with Life Education to help educate the business leaders of tomorrow.
“With our focus on providing IT solutions and helping consumers and businesses stay cybersafe, we believe the Life Education program is doing great work in educating young people on how to be responsible digital citizens,” Mr Bell said.
Prizes include a Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 drawn each school term, while the major prize at the end of the competition includes a Microsoft Surface GO LTE 128/8GB in silver and a Harmon Kardon Onyx Studio 6 Speaker.
