As the number of image-based abuse reports by young people continues to rise steeply, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has collaborated with Gen Z creatives to launch SCROLL: a new youth campaign on what to do when things go wrong online.
eSafety received more than one thousand reports of image-based abuse in the first quarter of 2022, compared to just over six hundred for the same period last year. More than 60 per cent (667 reports) were from people aged 13 to 24, almost double the number received for the same period last year (368).
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said image-based abuse is just one of the many online harms that young Australians need to protect themselves from with support from eSafety, parents, teachers, police and online platforms.
“SCROLL is a campaign for Gen Z by Gen Z that aims to make young Australians more aware of what they can do, and the support that is available, when they experience strife online,” Ms Inman Grant said.
“At its heart, it’s about empowering teenagers to get the help they need to stay safe online, so they can keep doing all the things they love and reduce their risk of being abused, harassed or groomed for the purpose of sexual exploitation or extortion.”
Running across Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, SCROLL features real stories and examples of how young Australians can protect themselves, where to get help, and ways to support friends. Led by a team of six young creatives – Dante, Patience, Tobias, Nya, Elliot and Chloe – topics include cyberbullying, online consent and how eSafety can help swiftly remove intimate images shared without permission.
20-year-old Patience said she hopes SCROLL makes the online experience even better for her peers.
“Even though we are considered so-called ‘digital natives’, we can still struggle navigating the online world – but we still want to learn, help, support and share,” Patience said.
“Through SCROLL, I hope we can show young people that there are so many resources out there for us; that you should never feel shame or embarrassment if something happens to you online; and that there is always someone there for support if you need to seek help.”
