The University of Tasmania will be tackling cyber bullying, grooming and image-based abuse among adolescents head on, thanks to the Australian Government’s $9 million Online Safety Grants Program.
Dr Joel Scanlan said that his Chatbot enabled Cyber Safety for Adolescents project was awarded $113,000 to empower more children and young people to get assistance and access support resources to equip them to respond to online harms.
“With this generous funding, we will be able to undertake a co-design process to enable effective development of a chatbot to provide support to adolescents. It is vital to include their perspective, to ensure that the correct support is provided in the right way, when it is needed.”
Interim Executive Dean of the College of Business and Economics Stuart Crispin said the project would provide a vital interactive avenue of support for young people who face the evolving risks of our increasingly online and connected world.
"The purpose build chatbot will provide young people and schools with the information and tools needed to navigate online risks by connecting them to relevant existing resources and services.”
The project is one of nine initiatives to share in $2.25 million in funding in the third and final round of the grants program, which is led by the eSafety Commissioner and complements its existing education programs.
The Minister for Communications, the Hon. Michelle Rowland MP, said the not-for-profit sector played an important role in supporting government to address complex social issues.
“These grants will help unlock each recipient’s unique expertise to create new channels and content addressing specific issues and age groups, helping us to reach more Australians with vital online safety education.”
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said she was excited to welcome nine new partners in online safety that shared her passion for helping Australians to have positive and safe experiences online.
“We need to keep developing fresh ways to reach and educate Australians if we’re to keep pace with technology.
“Working with partners means more voices, more insights and more ways to inspire a generation of young people to scroll with safety online,” Ms Inman Grant said.
To find out more about the Online Safety Grants Program, visit: Online Safety Grants Program
For online safety advice for all Australians, visit esafety.gov.au
About the Online Safety Grants Program:
- The Online Safety Grants Program is a three-year program that supports the delivery of online safety education to children, young people and their communities, or training to those who work with them.
- Grants between $80,000 and $1 million have been awarded to help non-government organisations deliver innovative online safety education projects, especially for at-risk audiences.
- The program is led by the eSafety Commissioner and funded by the Australian Government.