This weeks podcast I chat with eSafety trainer Greg Gebhart from Australia's Office Of The eSafety Commissioner.  www.eSafety.gov.au

The eSafety Commissioner has posted recently that reports of online abuse have escalated during Covid19 by over 300%. I'm also getting more reports from parents about issues, such as children being targeted by predators, cyber bullies and reports of image based abuse. What happens at the eSafety commissioners office when a report of abuse comes in? How is it handled? and what sort of issues are they largely dealing with now?

This weeks guest on Digital Families is Alex Kidman an Australian freelance technology journalist and co-host of Vertical Hold: Behind The Tech News, a weekly technology podcast with Adam Turner.

Alex also writes about video games for various publications, and today I’m going to be asking his advice on behalf of parents about family video gaming. https://www.alexkidman.com

Many parents think video gaming or eGaming as its often called is a complete waste of time…and sometimes it may be just entertainment which is fine of course. But gaming can also be a great way for families to have fun together.

In this episode, Alex and I discuss the types of games parents might want to try out with their family and how to manage gaming in the family environment particularly in light of the amount of time all of us are now inside. We talk about the benefits of gaming and some very practical aspects of keeping things balanced as well. Also the costs, how to avoid getting stung with in-app purchases, and keeping your child safe whilst playing online games like Fortnite or Roblox.

Find the links to the games we discuss Here: https://thecybersafetylady.com.au/2020/07/digital-families-gaming-together/

In todays podcast I chat with co-creaters of  "Our Kids Online" Porn, Predators & How To Keep Them Safe The Documentary Rob Cope and Zareen Sheikh-Cope.   Parents of four children between them, aged nine to fifteen they went looking for ways to keep their children safer online, and stumbled across some shocking discoveries, in particular, around children's exposure to online pornography and predators.

This video is one of the best examples of trying to help us understand the effects of porn on young minds. It's relatable and gives actual resources and help to parents. 

 "While researching the pros and cons of handheld devices of our kids, and how to keep them safe online, we stumbled upon the biggest un-had conversation of our time." - Zareen Sheikh-Cope  

We talk about their personal journey from ordinary parents with a basic understanding of the online world, who during their research and journey through this documentary find out how easy it is for children to access porn at home on devices, and what the devastating effects of early exposure to porn can be.   You can watch the full documentary here https://vimeo.com/ondemand/ourkidsonline  Find out more about "Our Kids Online" Here: https://www.ourkidsonline.info/

In this podcast Dr Danielle Einstein, explains how the recent pandemic has impacted our children's mental health. We also talk about how the use of screens has effected young peoples social skills and learning in schools. Danielle explains how the design of devices gives us rewards that increase our reliance and can lead to possible addiction to screens. Danielle also advises what parents can do to help families get back on board with together time, off screen and back to having fun as a family. 

Dr Danielle Einstein is a Clinical Psychologist specialising in the treatment and prevention of anxiety, depression and OCD. Danielle was Head of the Anxiety Clinic at Westmead Hospital from 1996 to 2002, and has run her own private practice since 2003. She has edited a text book on CBT, taught ACT to masters students at Macquarie University, and worked as a postdoctoral fellow. https://www.danielleeinstein.com

Danielle leads research with schools across Australia to evaluate the impact of the programs on wellbeing. The latest program is being run in Australia, Hong Kong and the UK to educate the community on the psychological factors which undermine mental health in the wake of COVID 19. One student at the Kings school has commented on how useful these learning’s are and how he uses the tools within the program to stop worrying and calm himself both during the school day and at night when he goes to sleep.

www.covid19chilledandconsiderate.com  Twitter https://twitter.com/drdani_drhelen Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/chilledandconsiderate/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/drdani_drhelen/

My guest today is Nan Bosler. Nan Bosler AM is an Australian community activist and advocate for young people, the elderly and people with disabilities. She is an author and most notable internationally, for her involvement with computer clubs and digital skills for older people. Along with many other awards she has received over the years, in 2019 Nan was awarded an (AM) of the Order of Australia for significant service to seniors and to the community. 

In 1997 Nan founded the Australia Seniors Computer Clubs Association (ASCCA). She has represented ASCCA nationally and internationally and has been a member of the Cyber Security Awareness Week Committee, Broadband for Seniors Kiosk Consortium, Ambassador for Seniors Week (2013-2015), a member of the New South Wales Carers Advisory Council (2010-2014) and a National Cyber Security Awareness Ambassador, 2013. https://www.ascca.org.au

On todays podcast Nan and I chat about how seniors are doing online? During this pandemic, what are the clear disadvantages and advantages that our seniors are experiencing online and how are they coping with shopping, banking, communication and keeping in touch while they are apart from loved ones. 

Liz Walker is an sexuality educator, speaker and author. 

Liz provides schools and community education as Managing Director of Youth Wellbeing Project, facilitates parent education in her role as Director of Health Education at Culture Reframed, and has also collaborated with progressing Age Verification to protect children from porn in Australia.

In this podcast we talk about why restricting children's access to pornography via age verification gateways hasn't happened yet. Liz explains about the harm that explicit and often violent pornography is having on young people. We also discuss how parents can help their children deal with pornography, which they will eventually see sooner rather than later. And importantly what steps can parents take when they discover their child has had access to porn. This is a very important conversation and that helps parents understand how to prepare their families for exposure to porn. https://www.youthwellbeingproject.com.au  https://www.culturereframed.org/    https://iqprograms.com/

Today I chat with Rosie Thomas from Project Rockit about bullying, especially cyber bullying amongst young people, why it is happening and we can do to try and prevent it and help mitigate the behaviour. 

Also, what are the key steps parents need to take if they find out their child is displaying bullying type behaviour, or if their child is being bullied? How do you help your child navigate tricky relationships or negative behaviour towards them so that they build a great set of skills and resilience to all life may throw at them. 

New Digital Families Podcast with Jacqui Loustau from Cynch Small Business Security. We chat about what families need to put in place to ensure that if you are running a business from home, or working remotely, your family and your buisness will be secure online. Are you noticing more spam in your inbox? Are you aware of the latest scams to either disable your computer or steal money from your company. I put Jacqui from Cynch through a set of questions that I often hear from folks working from home at the moment. No question to dumb!!! Do you have the right equipment like your router/modem computer antivirus right now to stay secure? Should your phone have antivirus software? What happens if you do get targeted? Where to go for help? And more.  Share with other remote family members! https://cynch.com.au/ and for remote workers http://www.cynch.com.au/remote

Guests of the podcast today are Collette Smart psychologist, qualified teacher, speaker and internationally published author, Tricia Munn a Cyber Safety expert from Eyes Open Social Media Safety, Jenny Hoey “mum of 3 and Parent Awareness Advocate at Porn Resilient Kids, an initiative of Youth Wellbeing Project” and Caitlin Lamour ICT Integrator at St Catherines School and Caitlin Lamour ICT Integrator Twitter @caitlinlamour at St Catherines School Sydney.

Todays podcast we talk about the increase of Cyber Bullying and children being exposed to dangerous media like porn during Covid19. The office of the eSafety commissioner has reported a steep increase in reports of cyber bullying, extortion and image based abuse since lockdown. “The number of people reporting behaviour such as cyberbullying, image-based abuse and sex-based extortion has more than tripled since coronavirus restrictions took effect, according to the eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant.”

We also discuss the future of technology and schools after Covid19 What influences might the lock down have on technology in education? What worked what didn’t and will parents find it difficult to pull back from being involved in their child’s learning in order to allow schools to do their jobs? How are HSC students coping with this new way of learning and a more uncertain future?

My guest today is Martine Oglethorpe from "The Modern Parent". Martine is a mother to five boys with a background in secondary education and a Masters in Counselling. Through her personal and professional work with families raising children, she recognises the important role technology plays in the lives of young people today and thus the role we can play in not only their safety but their social and emotional wellbeing.

In todays podcast Martine and I talked about what parents can do when they feel overwhelmed by screen time and tech in their home. If you have a child that throws a wobbly every time you try to get them to do something else other than using a screen, Martine has some very helpful tips. Martine and I also talk about how to develop positive relationships with the screens in your home, particularly during this intense time. 

Martine also is an Author of several books, her latest is titled "The Modern Parent" Found here for sale in hard copy or eBook https://themodernparent.net/the-modern-parent-book/

Find out more about Martine Here www.themodernparent.net