Bundaberg students have been armed with online safety skills after taking part in Optus’ Digital Thumbprint Program.
The free-in-school program supports young people to be safe, responsible and positive online.
Over 2,320 students from Bundaberg Christian College, Bundaberg State High School and St Luke's College took part in the program which aims to equip them with simple and effective tools for being safe online.
This forms part of a two-week-long roadshow across Bundaberg, Hervey Bay and Maryborough which will visit over 4,560 students across seven schools.
Wide Bay QLD, Territory General Manager Mungo O’Brien said given eased restrictions in the State, he was thrilled to bring the program to students at Bundaberg Christian, Bundaberg State High School and St Luke's College.
He said the project worked to spark conversations around digital practice as well as some of the other challenging topics related to the online world.
“With the current situation driving more online activity, conversations around necessary precautions such as creating strong passwords and enabling privacy settings on social media have become more important than ever,” Mungo said.
“As a leading provider of internet technology, it’s important for us to highlight to students that they don’t have to be an expert at navigating the internet to practice these safe habits.
“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.
“Making sure to implement ways to keep Australians safe was a priority during this time, whilst also continuing to educate, we expanded on our original face-to-face Digital Thumbprint Program delivery model to offer digital versions.
“With Queensland moving into the new normal, it’s great to bring back the interactive approach of the program, educating students across Wide Bay on key issues such as how to protect your identity and information online and building positive and respectful relationships online.”
Since the program’s launch in 2013, the government accredited Optus Digital Thumbprint Program has educated over 300,000 primary and secondary students across Australia on how to be safer and smarter online.
In 2019, almost 50,000 students were reached during that year alone.
Optus Digital Thumbprint Program is completely free for schools and does not promote any Optus products or services.
