Flinders Launches New Online Safety Hub to Support Parents

A new online safety portal has been launched for parents of Matthew Flinders Anglican College to coincide with celebrations around Safer Internet Day on Tuesday, 11 February, a global initiative to make the internet a safer, more positive space for everyone.

The new Flinders Online Safety Hub provides parents with trusted resources on digital safety across diverse topics, from parental controls to creating screen routines at home, modelling healthy digital habits and spotting fake online accounts.  

The aim is to strengthen the partnership between the College and its families, which is the theme of this year's Safer Internet Day –“Connect, Reflect, Protect” – to encourage school and home to work together to empower young people with skills and knowledge to navigate the online world safely and confidently.

The eSafety Commissioner notes that research reveals 45% of kids aged 8-17 have been treated in a hurtful or nasty way online.

Principal Michelle Carroll said students at Flinders were continually learning about cyber safety and healthy technology use through interactive workshops, classroom learning and the school's bespoke how-to guides and policies.

“At Flinders, we have a responsibility to guide our students in safely exploring the online world’s vast opportunities for learning, innovation and connection, yet we are also acutely aware of the devastating influence it can have on young people’s wellbeing," Ms Carroll said.

“Take the recent report from the eSafety Commissioner that valid cyberbullying reports to eSafety increased from 536 in 2019 to 2,978 in 2024—a 455 per cent increase over the five-year period.    

“We know that our parent community also need support, as many are concerned by the research and find it challenging to navigate the fast-paced nature and complexities of the online world. 

"Our new Flinders Online Safety Hub is a meaningful resource to support parents in taking an active and informed approach to teaching their children about the digital space.

“The Hub provides a central resource for everyone’s cyber safety needs and questions to guide our young people as users of digital technology. 

“Initiatives like Safer Internet Day are also a timely reminder for our staff to learn new skills and our parents to better understand what positive digital habits look like in the home environment. 

“Together, we can learn how to use technology to learn, work and connect in safe, healthy and respectful ways.”

Cyber Safety Education in the Curriculum and Programs at Flinders

Head of Learning Futures in the Secondary School, Mr Patrick Morrow says, “The new Flinders Online Safety Hub will be regularly updated by YSafe, an award-winning team of cyber safety experts who provide online safety education to students across Australia. 

“And, as part of our commitment to online safety, Flinders is excited to have YSafe experts visiting in mid-February to work with our students from Years 5 to 12 across four interactive workshops on how to make cyber-smart choices,” Mr Morrow said. 

Mrs Laura Bain, the Head of Future Learning and Academic Operations in the Primary School, is also supporting teachers with dedicated classroom activities for students inspired by Safer Internet Day. 

Mrs Bain said, “Promoting digital safety is not just about protecting our students from online risks—it’s also about equipping them to be skilled and critical users of technology, armed with the tools to engage responsibly and positively in the digital space."

“The College utilises industry-leading internet filtration and monitoring services, and has a managed and controlled student app library as well as providing tools for teachers to monitor student devices during their lessons.

“Also, in the Primary School, we have refined our homework practice; iPads will no longer be sent home in Years 5 and 6, allowing for a stronger focus on pen-and-paper tasks that foster active learning while also addressing parents’ screen-time concerns.

“Through our holistic approach to online safety at Flinders, our students are supported to become informed, healthy and respectful digital citizens.” 

How Families Can Support Digital Safety

Parents and carers play a critical role in guiding their children to make wise online choices. Safer Internet Day is the perfect opportunity to start—or continue—important conversations about technology use, online safety and respectful digital behaviour.

Steps you can take to support your child:

• Have open conversations about what they do online, who they interact with, and the apps or games they use.
• Set boundaries and guidelines around screen time and internet use, ensuring they understand your family’s expectations.
• Encourage critical thinking by teaching your child to question the credibility of online information and make informed choices.
• Model positive behaviour by demonstrating respectful and responsible technology use yourself.

Resources to Help Families 

To assist families in navigating these tricky online spaces, the eSafety Commissioner provides a wealth of resources tailored for parents and carers along with Safer Internet Day resources for families, which include:

Young people:

• Advice for young people: Targeted advice for young people to help them stay safe online.

Families:

• Family tech agreements: Explore and use our family tech agreements to set rules that suit the age and needs of children and young people, about how devices, like smartphones, tablets, computers, TVs and gaming consoles are used at home.
• We can always talk about being safe online: Download the poster for your home.
• Parent Controls: Learn how to maximise online safety in your home.
• Parent Webinars: Free Webinars for parents and carers.