Meryl Swanson (Paterson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Adelaide—I've got to get that through my head. Young people are some of the most switched-on and connected, but they are still vulnerable. Last month, on 11 February, we celebrated Safer Internet Day, which was promoted by the Office of the eSafety Commissioner. This was a day to talk about how to stay safe online in our communities and how to help protect our kids in this new digital world. As the parent of a 16-year-old, of course I'm always worried about her and her digital reputation. She's so savvy. Thankfully, she's very switched-on. But there are just so many traps and pitfalls for young people these days. So my advice to any parent or young person is: just be cautious and, if you don't want your grandmother to find out about it or you don't want it on the front page of a newspaper, don't put it online. That's my advice, Adelaide Swanson, from your mother.

In conclusion, as we race to grab the newest technologies with the fastest download speeds, we must do our bit to educate our children, ourselves and our older Australians so that we can stay safe. Stay safe online, Australia.

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