TRIGGER WARNING This website contains references to sexual violence.

While you read this, kids around New Zealand are having harmful experiences online. This has a significant impact on our communities.

New Zealand lacks an online safety framework focused on the prevention of harm. With tech evolving quickly, and policy failing to keep up, we have significant gaps.

We’re advocating for systemic policy change and actions to ensure our rangatahi and tamariki are safe online - at home, at school, everywhere.

Policy
To date, policy in relation to online safety has been slow and stagnant in NZ. We advocate for Government, industry, providers, schools and communities to address the issues our kids face online. Instead of waiting until they are forced to, we encourage all parties to take proactive steps on online safety for our kids right now.

Creating strategic preventative policy change at a systemic level is essential for child safety online, with a cross-agency, whole-of-society approach. We all have a role to play.

Policy shouldn’t be piecemeal. It considers our current and future children, and prioritises vulnerable groups. This means ensuring these groups are central in developing national strategies. Together, we can work to ensure Aotearoa stands out, in our care and protection of children online. Good policy makes sense.

Platforms
We believe tech platforms should be held accountable for harm that occurs on their sites. This is complex and requires robust codes of practise, with a safety by design approach, supported by regulation and enforcement. Effective public policy has the power to reduce online harm where it happens. Accountability makes sense.

Prevention
Prevention happens in the details including but not limited to:
- Redirecting people making harmful online searches to support services, so they get help before they commit a crime online.
- Expanding filtering systems to block illegal content. In the case of the Digital Child Exploitation Filtering System (DCEFS) we believe this should include extreme and illegal material such as rape and bestiality - a crucial prevention measure. You can read about our petition submission on illegal content here, with Select Committee’s recommendations to addressing this.
- Implementing digital literacy in schools so kids know how to navigate the online world.

Prevention makes sense.

Parents & Caregivers
Broader changes are crucial, but it’s not all about policy and power. We believe parents and caregivers can make some of the most critical changes. In our own families and whānau, we can foster healthy conversations and approaches to tech to reduce harm and build critical thinking. But we need to truly understand the online landscape to prepare them well. See resources here.
Contact us if you want information about parenting talks in your community, “Left to their Own Devices”.

Current Projects

+ We believe Aotearoa requires a national strategy to address online harm, supported by a multi-agency, whole-of-society approach. This includes clear, child-centred legislation, an online children’s commissioner, enforcement/regulatory powers, and robust education. Read our co-authored report, “The Digital Sexual Landscape, Children and Young People in Aotearoa” here.

+ We are advocating for New Zealand schools to have robust online safety measures in place with strong policy and practises and for the Government to offer the right support to close the gaps . Find out more.

+ We encourage parents to delay giving their child a smartphone till high school, and social media assess till 16 years old. Check out #HoldthePhone.

+ Our petition regarding filtering illegal sexual abuse content called for government and industry to address illegal sexual abuse material online. Find out more about Select Committee’s recommendations here.

+ We hold community parenting events, giving our talk, “Left to their Own Devices”. This is independent work outside of advocacy, please enquire here.

+ We are involved in a range of advisory and reference groups, advocating for the prevention of sexual harm to children online; through grooming, exploitation and exposure to sexual content.