SnowBell Project

Research from the Australian Institute of Criminology highlights the tactics offenders use when talking with a child online.

One tactic offenders use is establishing victim attributes, or asking questions about a young person.

Some questions may seem casual, however some may become personal or s*xual.

Have a discussion with your child about who they talk to online, and remind them to seek help if someone asks them personal or uncomfortable questions.

Start the conversation about what's appropriate and what's not, and that nothing is so bad they can't go to you for help.

For more information: www.thinkuknow.org.au/sites/default/files/2020-10/Fact%20sheet%20Online%20grooming.pdf

To read the research: www.aic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-12/ti643_online_child_s*xual_offenders_language_use_in_real-time_chats.pdf

Snapchat is a popular app for young people, however there are some safety challenges that parents and carers should know about.

If your child uses Snapchat, have a conversation with them about how they use the app, who their ‘friends’ are and the type of content they share.

Some articles to help get you started:
📱 www.thinkuknow.org.au/find-advice/social-networking-and-meeting-people
📱 www.thinkuknow.org.au/find-advice/self-generated-s*xual-content
📱 www.thinkuknow.org.au/find-advice/not-everyone-online-who-they-say-they-are
📱 www.thinkuknow.org.au/find-advice/ims-dms-and-chat

Did you know? 🧐

Research conducted by our colleagues at the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation shows that just over half of parents and carers talk to their children frequently about online safety.

We encourage regular discussions with your child about what they do online and who they’re talking to.

Our Family Online Safety Contract is a great way to get started, for your copy visit: www.thinkuknow.org.au

For our family technology plan for prior to school-aged children, visit: https://playingitsafe.org.au

Did you know we have guides for everyone?

Our Easy Read guide has been developed for people with a cognitive disability with help from our friends at the Tasmania Acquired Brain Injury Services.

The guide covers topics such as online grooming, personal s*xual content sharing and where you can go for help.

Check out our Easy Read Guide herehttps://www.thinkuknow.org.au/sites/default/files/2020-10/A%20guide%20to%20staying%20safe%20online%20%28Easy%20Read%29_0.pdf

To look out for

If your children like gaming, you may have heard of Roblox.

Roblox is a popular game where players can create and interact in immersive worlds. Players can play online and interact with others using in-game chat. Due to the popularity of the game, players can be of any age, including children, teenagers and adults.

Our tips:
• Supervise your child when playing
• Remind your child to not share personal information with other players
• Check for chat filters and privacy settings
• Turn off the chat function, or ensure chat topic stays about the game

Let your child know that they can always come to you for help if anything makes them uncomfortable during play.

For more info on online gaming: www.thinkuknow.org.au/sites/default/files/2020-09/0064_ThinkUKnow%20FS%20Online%20Gaming_ACC.pdf

In Australia there is a s*x offenders register, but it is not public, only known to police.

How can we, the public, protect our children and vulnerable if we don't know who to look out for?

A year ago a story about an offender that after serving only 2 1/2 years in prison for abusing 8 children was discovered by the near by school mums, realising he breached his parole by having close access to children from school and having playdates at his home.

Do you think we should have access to a tool that allows us to be aware of offenders living near by?

East coast mums uncover they're living next door to evil Mums group uncover they're living next door to a pa******leBy Chris Allen|A year ago When you see him in the street, he looks like any other dad on the block. But Cameron Tweeddale Smith has a dark secret.The father of two is a convicted pa******le whose name is on a s*x offender's register.When he....

2020 is almost over!

We can say this has been a ruff year for the non for profit world, affecting our services in different ways and even forcing organisations to cease due to COVID19.

Never the less, we feel optimistic to continue our program!
One of our greatest achievements this year was our partnership with AMICI Tech and their Backy Check services which became our main support to maintain our technology and ensure our development program in the fight against child s*xual abuse!

Our partner services is closely linked to our mission, offering background check services, promoting safe working environment and supporting other organisations.

We wish to you all a great 2021 and stay safe! 😁

About Backy Check. We Are Your Perfect Partner Backy Check is the commercial arm of AMICI Tech, a social enterprise that has become the primary financial support for SnowBell Project , an Australian charity that fights child s*xual exploitation.

Tremendous job the AFP did to uncover this pe*****le ring, and a reminder than there are many out there, and it still represents a threat to our communities

Sixteen children allegedly s*xually abused at NSW Mid-North Coast childcare centre An investigation into a major online pa******le network operating in Australia has found 16 children from one NSW mid-north coast childcare centre were allegedly subjected to s*xual abuse by a former worker.

The amount of material showing unappropriated content on various social media platforms is on the rise

Unfortunately, this type of content does appear periodically on social media and it is important reminder to revisit the strategies you may already have in place at home for monitoring your child’s use of social media platforms

Recently we become aware of a video that has gone viral on various social media platforms showing a su***de, and we encourage people who encounter this content to report it to the social media platform they’ve seen it on.

How to report illegal and harmful content | eSafety Commissioner We investigate offensive and illegal online content and work towards rapid removal.

An AFP spokeswoman said a police crackdown on pa******les travelling to foreign countries to exploit children had seen a rise in online abuse.

Unfortunately the lock-down allowed online abuse to double and vulnerable children to be targeted.

Please remember that social media platforms are the main channel for grooming!

The hidden fallout of the pandemic: Fears lockdown linked to jump in child abuse material arrests in WA There are concerns coronavirus lockdown measures could have a role in a jump in arrests over child abuse material in Western Australia in recent months.