nz kids online safety

NZ kids and online safety

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The incidence of online bullying, hacking, privacy issues, online security issues and child safety is growing globally.

New Zealand is no different!

Children need to be able to operate online, and they need to be equipped for the world they’re working in.

Just like you would carefully teach your children to cross a road or keep themselves safe in public places, parents and caregivers need to explain how to stay safe online.

We’ve listed some resources below to get you started.  You can also contact us if you’d like more information.

Discovery Lab participants will be well equipped for the future through our focus on digital citizenship – this helps kids learn about safety, privacy, and looking after themselves and others online.

NZ kids online safety statistics

  • According to Netsafe, 33% of NZ teens spend at least 4 hours online each day.
  • Otago based group Sticks’nStones surveyed 11-18 year olds in NZ and found 87% thought cyberbullying was a problem, while one third of them had experienced it in the past year.
  • The rise of events such as Safer Internet Day (coordinated by Netsafe) shows the demand for raising awareness of online safety.

Here are some links to more information about online safety for kids in New Zealand.

Online safety for children: http://www.cyberbullying.co.nz/learn-quick-facts.cfm

NZ teens internet use summary: https://www.netsafe.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/NZ-teens-digital-profile_factsheet_Feb-2018.pdf

Cyberbullying – Sticks’n’Stones survey: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11612551

Safer Internet Day: https://www.netsafe.org.nz/our-work/safer-internet-day/