A practical guide to keep you and your loved ones cybersafe during isolation, with additional guidance from the bible​. A Presentation by the Aberfoyle Park Christadelphians, South Australia

1. eSafety and Coronavirus
A practical guide to keep you and your
loved ones cybersafe during isolation,
with additional guidance from the bible
A Presentation by the Aberfoyle Park
Christadelphians, South Australia

2. A new time
A new way of doing things
God is putting all of us, the entire world, through
a re-boot
We are getting an update; changes being made
Usually a hassle, an annoyance to update, but
there are reasons for it
Coronavirus made us change the ways we do
things, particularly our virtual lives, our
participation online
Our online participation has dramatically increased
in use and time, comes with some rewards but
also risks

3. Contents
Increased Device Use and Time Online – the Ramifications
• Unwanted Contact, Grooming & Privacy
• Screen Time and Techo-guilt
• Changing Landscape of Online Gaming
• Explosion of Video Chat and Calling
• Respectful Online Relationships During Isolation
Top 10 Best Practices for eSafety During Coronavirus
Strategies for Senior Digital Citizens
What Guidance Does God Give Us in the Bible?
Resources and Where to Get Help

4. Increased Use
of Devices –
Practical
Consideration
How many times a day does a millennial
check their phone? 157 times (pre-
corona virus)
Average 10 times per hour
Clean and sanitise your devices regularly
Including game system buttons and
controllers
Gentle wipe with an ant-bacterial wipe
or spray and cloth
How many germs are on one square inch
of your phone?

5. More than public
toilets, bottoms
of shoes,
doorknobs or
kitchen counters!

6. Increased Use of Devices
and Time Spent Online
As countries enforce social distancing and home
isolation rules to contain the virus, more people
are online for work, learning, communication
and entertainment (streaming media)
Children are going online to learn and for
recreation
Teens are going online for learning, but also
for social contact and escapism from self-
isolation such as gaming
Not surprisingly, organisations around the world
have seen an increase in Cyber related threats,
exploitations, theft and bullying

7. Appeal for Awareness
and Caution
Prime Minister Scott Morrison
also addressed online safety
after Friday’s National Cabinet meeting, stating:
“Your children will be online more than
they ever have been, and that means they
are at risk more often than they ever have been
online.”
https://7news.com.au/the-daily-
edition/coronavirus-update-cyber-bullying-
among-kids-has-risen-by-50-per-cent-due-to-
increased-tech-time-at-home-c-951852

8. Increased Use of Devices and
Time Online Ramifications
Many more kids online for more time,
increased opportunities for exploitation
and predatory behaviour
Many walk-in services closed, increased
opportunity to exploit older digital citizens
who are being encouraged to connect
Many adults working from home, increased
opportunity to hack companies, employees
and steal information
https://securitybrief.com.au/story/trend-
micro-covid-19-related-malware-and-spam-
on-the-rise

10. Unwanted
Contact and
Grooming
With more people engaging online, it
is even more important to ensure all
the conversations children and teens
have are safe, healthy and wanted.
Unwanted contact is any online
communication that makes your child
feel uncomfortable or unsafe, even if
they initially welcomed the contact.
It can come from an online ‘friend’
At worst, it can involve ‘grooming’ —
building a relationship with the child
to sexually exploit them.

11. Emily's Story
– Online
Grooming
ThinkUKnowAUS
https://youtu.be/GOsgQbmvuUQ

12. How to
Minimise Risks
and Protect
Your Child
Make their accounts private
Don’t give social media apps access to location
services
Follow age guidelines - Don’t have your children
using social media apps or playing games that are
not age appropriate
Delete contacts they don’t know in real life or don’t
talk to
Report and block — if your child receives any
unwanted contact from either someone they know
or a stranger, encourage them to report and block
the person.
Delete requests from strangers — encourage your
child to delete friend or follow requests from
people they don’t know.

13. How to Minimise Risks and
Protect Your Child
Stay involved in your child’s digital world
Build an open trusting relationship
Help your child to protect their privacy
Teach your child to be alert to signs of inappropriate contact —
help them recognise signs that an online 'friend’ may be trying to
develop an inappropriate relationship, such as asking:
• lots of questions about personal information soon after meeting
online
• if they would like to meet in person
• which room their computer is in
• for favours and doing things in return (abusers often use
promises and gifts to gain trust)

14. How to Combat Excessive
Screen Time
Research tells us that for children over 10 years old an
hour of screen time can be beneficial for mental health
Why?
Research tells us that for children over 10 more than an
hour of continuous screen time a day can have a negative
impact on mental health; correlates with increased
agitation, anxiety, inactivity, obesity, hyperactivity and
aggression.
No denying research that confirms excessive screen time
can compromise health and wellbeing. Too much screen
time can adversely impact on sleep, physical movement
levels, language and social skills even in adults.
Problem: If we are spending too much time with pixels, it
limits the time we could be using to develop other
important skills or spending with people we love.

15. How to Combat
Excessive Screen Time
Issue for children, and all of us: techno guilt
Screen time Isn’t necessarily good or bad, it’s the
frequency and duration that can become a problem
Reality now is increased screen time for learning (not
all bad) and necessary
There is also research that confirms technology can
support, not stifle, kids learning and wellbeing when
it’s used in moderation, if it’s age appropriate and
used in intentional ways.
The most important key to this kind of screen time
being beneficial is communicating expectations with
your child(ren) and setting enforceable boundaries
(or with yourself, spouse)

16. How to Combat Excessive Screen
Time – Use Available Technologies
• Apple Screen Time (iOS)
• Google Digital Wellbeing (Android)
• Screen Time lets you know how much time
you and your kids spend on apps, websites
and more. This way, you can make more
informed decisions about how you use your
devices, and set limits if you'd like to.
• view your reports
• set limits on apps and content
• manage a child's device.

17. Screen Time: A
Healthy Balance
During non-school hours or work
hours at home, switch off and
disconnect – focus on family or time
with loved ones
Include ‘offline’ activities in your
routine at home — this can include
family exercise, reading time or
board games.

18. Too Much
Time Online?
Signs to look
out for…
• Tiredness, sleep disturbance, headaches (binge
watching, gaming)
• Eye strain
• Changes in eating patterns
• Reduced personal hygiene
• Constantly talking about particular online
programs, such as a gaming site
• Extreme anger when being asked to take a
break from online activity
• Appearing anxious or irritable when away from
the computer/device
• Becoming withdrawn from friends and family
• Feeling anxious or not knowing what to do
without the technology

19. Excessive Screen Time
– Gaming
Videogame addiction was officially defined as a
mental health disorder in 2019 by the WHO
https://www.livescience.com/65580-video-
game-addiction-mental-health-disorder.html
During Covid era, new phenomenon where
gaming fosters social connection at a time of
physical distance
Now video games are a form of social
engagement that allow humans to safely
‘gather together’ online

20. Increase in Gaming
Provide moments of escape and a sense
of agency when people feel they have
none
Interesting link; virtual sport video games
risen due to nearly all live sporting
events being cancelled
Gaming industry faring exceptionally well
during Coronavirus
Recent release of first-person shooter
Call of Duty: Warzone on March 10 saw
30 million players in 10 days!

21. Risks with Online Gaming
If your child is online gaming, it is important to be aware
of risks, including:
Spending too much time gaming, which can have
negative impacts on your child’s health, ability to study,
and social and emotional wellbeing
With online games, your child could be communicating
with strangers, including adults, through web cam,
private messaging or online chat, increasing the risk of
contact from online abusers, or bullying from other
players
Games with gambling-like elements which can normalise
gambling for young people
Costs of in-game spending

22. Changing Gamer
According to 2019 gaming industry
statistics (Entertainment Software
Association):
65% of adults play videogames across
different types of hardware
The gender split is narrowing – 46% are
female (average age 34 years) and 54%
are male (average age 32 years)
One of the most significant findings is
that 63% of gamers play with others and
that many players get social support
from the gaming communities that they
are in
https://theconversation.com/coronaviru
s-making-friends-through-online-video-
games-134459

23. Gaming
Good or Bad?
• Nothing can take the
place of physical
exercise, outdoor
activities or spending
time with loved ones for
mental health and
wellbeing
• Some gaming, especially
in environment of
shelter at home can be
a healthy escape… do it
together in person!

24. Steps for Safer Gaming
Locate computer or games console in an open
area of your home, or if your child is playing on
their handheld device, get them to do it in the
family room.
Activate parental controls and safety features
on the device or in the app or browser. These
controls can help restrict access to certain
content and limit spending on in-game and in-
app purchases.
Search for the streaming service or console
name and 'parental controls' to see your
options.

25. Steps for Safer Gaming
Help your child to protect their privacy online —
get them to use a screen name that does not
reveal their real name, teach them not to divulge
any personal information to other players
Teach your child not to click on links provided by
strangers, like ‘cheat’ programs to help with game
play, which might expose their device to viruses or
malware.
Agree on strategies to help them to switch off, like
a timer that signals game time is nearly over, with
consequences for not switching off.
Talk regularly with your child about their gaming
interests and who they play with online. Help
them understand the risks.
Encourage your child to tell you if they experience
anything that worries them or makes them
uncomfortable.

26. Steps for Safer
Gaming
Check apps or games they want to
play on Commonsensemedia,
where you will find honest, parent
centred reviews with families in
mind (keep within age ratings)
Disable the voice chat and text chat
feature on games or play offline
Limit children to play online only
with friends they know in real life

27. Too Much Time Gaming?
Look out for signs such as:
• less interest in social activities like meeting
friends or playing sport (problematic)
• not doing so well at school (problem)
• tiredness, sleep disturbance, headaches or eye
strain
• changes in eating patterns
• reduced personal hygiene
• obsession with particular websites or games
• anger when being asked to take a break from
online activity, or appearing anxious or irritable
when away from the computer
(overstimulation of brain without physical
movement)
• becoming withdrawn from friends and family
• Set firm limits as a family to help address too
much gaming, as it may be linked to other
problems like depression and anxiety that are
linked to problematic internet use.

28. Increased Use of Live Video
Chat and Conferencing
Imagine how hard self-isolating and
sheltering at home would be without video-
calling?
Services like Zoom, Skype, FaceTime, Google
Hangouts and a host of others are making it
possible for us to connect with friends,
family, workplaces and schools at a time
when offline interactions are not possible or
responsible.
But like every other aspect of life in a digital
world, these platforms carry risks as well as
benefits, especially when they’re being used
by our kids - as they are right now in
unprecedented numbers.

29. Live Video Chat
We’ve heard a lot in recent days about the
cyber-safety loopholes of some of the top
video-conferencing apps - especially Zoom,
which has zoomed in popularity during the
present crisis.
Junk messages, scams and nuisance calls and
texts from strangers are a way of life on some
other video-calling apps (Skype) and it’s one
of the biggest safety risks for under-age
users.
With Zoom, if someone sends you a meeting
link, and you don’t know them or don’t want
to participate, you do nothing - and that’s the
end of it.

30. Live Video Chat Issues
This particular problem, which involves a user
dropping pornographic, violent, racist or other
inappropriate content onto the screen of a video
conference, has been widely noted on Zoom
(where it’s been dubbed “Zoombombing”) as
well as the teen-targeted video-chat app
Houseparty.
Numerous documented reports of hate speech,
graphic images, people yelling profanities or
exposing themselves during online meetings and
classes
Privacy and screen settings in Zoom can be
adjusted to prevent bombing attacks
But the company admits that more work is
needed to protect the safety and privacy of users,
especially in the education sector.

31. Safety Tips for Video
Calling Apps
Don’t do or say anything you’ll regret later - or wouldn’t
be happy to be made public. Because hosts can and do
record and save sessions.
Never join a meeting or accept a request from someone
you don’t actually know.
Check out the platform’s privacy settings - you will be
surprised at some of the defaults - and adjust them
accordingly.
Protect your meetings with passwords
Always leave personal details out of your profile
As for mums and dads, it’s important to monitor your
child’s video chats. That doesn’t mean hovering over
their shoulder all day - but it does mean keeping an eye
and an ear out at frequent intervals.
And now, more than ever, be sure to keep all devices out
of bedrooms.

32. Social Distancing and Relationships
• Social distancing and isolation can be hard on all relationships.
This applies for young relationships too.
• Sending nude photos, videos or intimate video calling can be
seen as a way to flirt or be intimate while at home, but it is
important to talk about the possible consequences.
• Losing control of the image and having intimate images shared
beyond the intended audience, even in trusted relationships.
• Psychological and emotional harm, including humiliation,
bullying, teasing, harassment or damage to their reputation.
• Criminal charges or penalties for some cases — in particular, the
sharing of non-consensual intimate images.

33. Keeping Relationships Safe and
Respectful Online
Talk to your child about how to stay connected with friends
and loved ones in safe and age-appropriate ways
• Devices used in common areas and with supervision
• Video calling only done through parent devices and
accounts (age restrictions)
Talk about the risks — what can go wrong and the legal issues.
Remind your child that once an image is shared, it is almost
impossible to get it back or to control how it is further
distributed.
Promote self-confidence and that it is OK to say ‘no' — let
them know that they don’t have to give in to peer pressure to
send intimate images or messages just because others do, or
because their boyfriend or girlfriend has asked them to.
Teach your child about consent and respectful relationships
— help them understand the impact of sharing someone else’s
intimate images or messages and that sharing without consent
means they are breaking that person’s trust.

34. Top Ten Best Practices for
CyberSafety
1. Build an open trusting relationship around
technology
2. Co-view and co-play with your child online.
3. Build good habits
4. Empower your child
5. Use devices in open areas of the home
6. Set time limits that balance time spent in front of
screens with offline activities
7. Know the apps, games and social media sites your
kids are using
8. Check the privacy settings
9. Use available technologies to set up parental
controls on devices
10. Be alert to signs of distress

35. Senior Digital Citizens -
Staying Connected
Although it may be necessary for you to physically
isolate yourself from other people during the
coronavirus outbreak, it's vital to stay in touch with
friends and family.
You can make video calls, send typed or instant
messages and share photos and written updates with
your friends on social media services (Facebook). Being
in touch with friends and family will help you to stay
connected and feel less isolated.
You might like to set up a regular time to video call or
send messages to one another throughout the day.
https://beconnected.esafety.gov.au/topic-
library/essentials/connecting-to-others

36. Senior Digital Citizens –
Online Shopping
If you are self-isolating, in quarantine or
your mobility is restricted for other
reasons, shopping at online supermarkets
and pharmacies can help to ensure you
have the supplies you need.
If you are self-isolating or in quarantine,
you can add delivery instructions to your
order asking for your goods to be left
outside, not handed over in person.
It's a good idea to shop with brands and
established stores you know and recognise,
who use secure websites.

37. Senior Digital Citizens
– Online Shopping
What to look for:
A secure website will have ‘https://’ in the
website's address, and sometimes a locked padlock
icon in the browser address bar. This means your
data and payment details will be encrypted (sent
using a secret code).
A website address or domain that ends in .com.au
lets you know the website is linked to an Australian
business.
Check the store has a working telephone number.
Check online reviews by typing the name of the
store and ‘reviews’ into a search engine to see if
other customers have had a good experience or ask
friends which online stores they have used.

38. Senior Digital Citizens
– Beware of Scams
Online scams have grown rapidly. Capitalising on uncertainty
caused by Coronavirus.
Dishonest people may try to exploit your fear or appeal to your
generosity for their own gain. Scams can look and sound very real,
but the more you know about them, the easier they are to spot.
Scammers try to collect personal information. This is identity
theft. They do this in a number of ways:
• They may ask you for your bank details so they can transfer
‘a prize’ (for a competition you didn’t enter) into your
account
• Threaten that they will lock your account if you don’t give
them personal information to ‘verify’ your identify.
https://www.police.sa.gov.au/your-safety/scams-and-cybercrime

39. Senior Digital Citizens
– Beware of Scams
Report scams to your local consumer affairs
agency, Scamwatch https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/
or Australian Cyber Security
Centre https://www.cyber.gov.au/report to help warn
others and help have the scammers tracked down.
Do not to respond at all if you think it is a scam.
Block the sender — this will stop more emails or messages
coming to you from the scammer.
If you are not sure if the email or message is genuine, use
Google to search the content in the email to see if others
have been sent the same email and if it has been identified
as a scam. Look in the text for spelling mistakes and poor
English as this is often a sign of a scam.
If a message or email comes from a friend and it seems
unusual or out of character for them, ring your friend to
see if they really sent it before you consider replying.
Delete the messages or emails as they come in.
If someone asks for your personal details, or needs to
verify your banking or financial details, it may be a scam.
IDCARE can help you deal with the consequences of identity
theft. https://www.idcare.org/

40. Full Software
Solution
Parental controls are software tools that allow you to monitor and limit what
your child sees and does online. They can be used to filter harmful content,
such as ‘adult’ or sexual material, and to monitor, time-limit or block your
child’s use of connected devices and functions such as cameras

43. Resources to Get Help
• To report online abuse:
https://www.esafety.gov.au/report
• Free eSafety Guide:
https://www.esafety.gov.au/key-issues/esafety-guide
• SAPOL Cybercrime Help:
https://www.police.sa.gov.au/your-safety/scams-
and-cybercrime
• If you need someone to talk to and are under 25,
contact Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800)
• For all other ages, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14
• Free Parent Helpline: 1300 364 100 (South Australia)

44. AP Christadelphians “Brothers and
Sisters in Christ”
https://www.facebook.com/apchristadelphians
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHn3Rx4tt_EA0NSAafJrdRA/videos
https://christadelphian.org.au/