For Safer Internet Day, students in the Bundaberg Region will boost their online safety skills in the Optus Digital Thumbprint Program.
The free in-school program supports young people to be safe, responsible and positive online.
Over the course of the week, hundreds of students from schools including Bundaberg State High School, St Luke's Anglican College and more will take part in the program to equip themselves with simple and effective tools for staying safe online.
Maurice McCarthy, Optus VP of Retail and Channel Sales, said he was thrilled to bring the program to Bundaberg Region students and start simple conversation around some of the challenging topics related to the online world.
“As a leading provider of internet technology we are passionate about Safer Internet Day's movement towards creating a better internet for everyone and look forward to continuing raising awareness throughout the week,” Maurice said.
“Students are always online, whether it's to complete schoolwork, stay in touch with friends or game.
“The Digital Thumbprint Program ensures students are able to take home some valuable skills when it comes to cybersecurity, verifying credible information and what to keep in mind to create a positive digital footprint.”
Maurice said the program had been designed to incorporate an interactive an original approach to educating students on key issues such as how to protect identity and information online and how to build positive and respectful relationships in the digital world.
“Students learn how easily things can spread when shared on the internet so they are aware of how valuable taking precautions such as creating strong passwords and enabling privacy settings on social media can be to shape their future for the better,” he said.
Safer Internet Day promotes positive message
Grant eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman said it was great to see Optus stepping in to help spread the online safety message.
“Far too many young Australians are having negative experiences online, including cyber bullying and other forms of abuse and disrespect,” she said.
“There are among the core issue addressed in the Optus Digital Thumbprint Program, which uses realistic scenarios to help young people boost their online safety skills in an interactive way.
“The theme for Safer Internet Day 2020 is ‘start the chat' and I know that many inspiring conversations will begin in these workshops in the participating schools.”
