The online world is everywhere, every day. From the way we work, study and pay
bills, to how we connect and unwind, the possibilities are endless. The risks are too.
According to the eSafety Commissioner’s 2022 Mind the Gap study:
Six in ten children have experience something online that has bothered or upset
them in the past year.
Almost two-thirds of young people aged 14 to 17 said they have been exposed to
potentially negative user-generated content online.
45 percent of surveyed children reported that they have been treated in a hurtful or
nasty way online.
The increasingly digital world means that children are being exposed to online challenges earlier in life. In order to keep them safe, there is a critical need for
earlier education. That’s why Life Ed has developed the new module, Harold’s Online World. It aims to equip Year 1 and 2 students early with the tools to stay safe online.
“Life Ed has been supporting school communities with education on online safety and wellbeing since 2016, with the bCyberwise module for Years 3 and 4, and Relate Respect Connect for Years 5 and 6. Harold’s Online World addresses a developing need in the early years of primary school and allows for a more impactful whole-of-school approach,” said Karen Robertson, Head of Education and Impact at Life Ed Australia.
“The Life Ed program is designed to teach kids about topics they may soon confront in their world, empowering them to critically evaluate the issues at hand so that they can practice making positive choices in a safe environment before being confronted with
difficult decisions.”
Children learn by doing
That’s why Life Ed create memorable learning experiences which encourage students to interact with their environment, including technology and online spaces in a safe way, to develop critical thinking and evaluation skills that can be used into the future.
Harold’s Online World encourages students to balance screen time with offline activities, recognise and report harmful content, engage in positive online interactions, and seek help from trusted adults.
“It’s not just about online safety. To effectively embed learning about this topic, we must explore how we value, accept and treat each other across all domains. That’s why this new module takes a comprehensive, age-appropriate approach to education that addresses the physical, mental, and social wellbeing of students,” continued Karen.
“This type of holistic education is what Life Ed prides itself in. Just as our visionary
founder, Reverend Ted Noffs recognised that the key to drug prevention isn’t about scare tactics, it’s about empowering children to learn about their bodies and celebrate their strengths, we continue this positive approach to instilling confidence and resilience."
Partnering with teachers and parents
Harold’s Online World teaches children about the importance of seeking help from trusted adults when they come across something that they are unsure about, or that makes them feel unsafe.
In this same vein, we also partner with teachers and parents to further embed education. It’s because keeping kids safe online and developing genuine long-term health literacy is a team effort. That’s why in addition to the iconic face-to-face Healthy Harold visit, Life Ed provides free pre and post visit resources and support for teachers and parents, to continue the conversation in and beyond the classroom. Free resources available include family tech tips and video discussion guides.
Harold’s Online World is evidence-informed, strengths-based and aligns with the Australian Curriculum, eSafety Commissioner’s Best Practice Framework for Online Safety Education, and World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommendations on digital health for children and adolescents.
Life Ed is a Trusted eSafety Provider, endorsed by the Safety Commissioner, for our impactful evidence informed, curriculum-aligned and highly-respected approach to educating Australians on online safety and wellbeing.
To learn more about Harold’s Online World and to book your next school visit lifeed.org.au.
Meeting the changing needs of young people
Life Ed was established by the visionary Reverend Ted Noffs, of the Wayside
Chapel, in 1979 to address significant concerns about the growing drug epidemic. It was a cause with widespread community support, but where Reverend Noffs’ approach differed was in the way he pioneered strengths-based learning. He was determined to steer clear of common scare tactics, in order to use positive education to encourage children to lead healthier and safer lives.
Today, Life Ed is the largest and most recognised provider in preventative health education in schools. More than 45 years on, Reverend Noffs’ legacy continues. This is because it’s in Life Ed’s DNA to rise to the challenges faced by young people, with solutions that empower them to make positive choices into the future.
In addition to our programs supporting health and wellbeing, online safety is an expanding area for Healthy Harold and his team, with the digital world encompassing Australians of all ages.
“Life Ed has been supporting school communities with education on online safety and wellbeing since 2016. We developed one of the first esafety modules in the country, called bCyberwise for Year 3 and 4 students,” explained Karen Robertson, Head of Education and Impact at Life Ed
“This was created during a time where smart phones were gaining popularity, access to the world wide web was prolific, and the 24/7 news cycle and social media were gaining
momentum. We created bCyberwise in response to this emerging digital world to educate children on cybersafety, cybersecurity and cyber ethics. We wanted to help children navigate issues like online bullying, fake news and unwanted contact with increasing reports of these dangers impacting young people.”
Life Ed’s evidence-informed, curriculumaligned and strengths-based approach to esafety
became sought-after in schools and communities across Australia. It was also applauded by Government and peak bodies, with Life Ed recognised as a Trusted
eSafety Provider, endorsed by the eSafety Commissioner for its highly-respected approach to educating young Australians on online safety and wellbeing.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Life Ed expanded on this work and launched
the Relate Respect Connect module for Year 5 and 6 students. This aimed to address the
rise in online abuse and cyberbullying during Australia’s unprecedented lockdowns, with theeSafety Commissioner reporting an alarming 40 percent increase in digital harm experienced by young people. Relate Respect Connect teaches children how to make good friends, deal with bullying issues, develop self-respect and respond to unsafe situations.
This year, the Australian Government begins to implement new legislation which will see
children under the age of 16 banned from accessing social media due to significant
challenges this early exposure has caused. Online safety and wellbeing for children is
a complex issue. It requires a multifaceted approach to address the wide-ranging
implications. Age-appropriate safeguarding measures like the Government’s social media
age restriction, in combination with age appropriate education are important parts of the solution. That’s why Life Ed has recently launched Harold’s Online World. A new
module for Year 1 and 2 students, it addresses the developing need for online safety education in the early years of primary school.
“However, children should not be our sole focus. Learning, and more specifically health
literacy, is most effectively embedded when trusted adults, like parents and teachers, are
engaged in the process. We should be educating them and providing resources so they can feel more confident in supporting the children in their lives and can continue to reinforce healthy and safe digital habits by leading by example,” continued Karen.
“That’s why Life Ed provides resources and support for teachers and parents. Just as the online world has no boundaries, we must go beyond the classroom to embed education and keep our kids safe.”
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