Associated investigators
Dr Helen Monks
Melanie Epstein
Rebecca Nguyen
Kate Erceg
Emily Munro
Rena Vithiatharan
Samantha Veurink
External partners
Common Sense Media
Microsoft
eSafety Commissioner
Funder of the project
Bankwest
External collaborators
City of Wanneroo
Town of Cambridge
City of Cockburn
Cisco
Surf Online Safe
ThinkUknow
WA Child Safety Services
ySafe
Project description
The Kids Research Institute Australia and Bankwest partnered together from 2019-2022 to develop a cyber safety app that provides parents and carers with the knowledge and skills to help their children thrive in a digital world. The Beacon app is available to download for free on the App Store or Google Play.
The Beacon app aims to improve the digital future for Australian children by building parents’ and carers’ skills to help their children to use digital technology in a positive way and to minimise potential harms.
The app:
- Contains quick and easy to read articles and videos developed from the latest cyber safety research.
- Focuses on strengthening the quality of parents’, carers’ and children’s digital technology use in a positive, non-judgemental way.
- Supports family digital technology needs and goals by providing highly personalised ideas, strategies, information, tools and support to build parents’ confidence and capacity.
- Enables parents and carers to respond to their children’s individual and changing needs to build on their digital strengths and support their digital knowledge, attitudes and skill development.
Find out more: https://beacon.telethonkids.org.au/