Online safety and abuse

As many of us spend increasing amounts of time online, it is important to be aware of online safety. On this page you can find tips for keeping yourself safe online, information about different types of online abuse, and where to get help if something goes wrong. At Notre Dame, we are committed to supporting student safety and wellbeing online.

Practical tips for staying safe online

The Australian government’s eSafety website has reliable information and guidance about how to stay safe online, including topics such as:

Visit the eSafety website for further information about keeping safe online.

Online abuse – cyber abuse, image-based abuse and scams

It is impossible for everyone to be 100% safe online, all the time. Unfortunately, anyone can have a negative experience online, ranging from relatively low-impact issues like mild criticism or feedback, to more damaging experiences such as cyber abuse, image-based abuse or being scammed.

Cyber abuse and imaged-based abuse are some of the most common online safety issues that university students could encounter, according to this student resource produced by the eSafety Commissioner working together with Universities Australia.

  • Cyber abuse

    Cyber abuse is behaviour that uses technology to threaten, intimidate, harass or humiliate someone — with the intent to hurt them socially, psychologically or even physically. It can take place in online classrooms, chat and messaging services, social media, text messages, emails, message boards and online forums. Cyber abuse can take a number of forms including:

    • Cyberstalking – cyberstalking can include false accusations, abusive comments, attempts to smear someone’s reputation, threats of physical/sexual violence or repeated unwanted sexual requests. Cyberstalking may also include monitoring, identity theft and gathering information that may be used to threaten, embarrass or harass. Cyberstalking is often accompanied by real time or offline stalking. Cyberstalking can occur in a context of sexual assault, sexual harassment or family and domestic violence.
      The eSafety website offers information about cyberstalking, how to know if you are being cyberstalked and what to do if you are the target. You are also warmly encouraged to contact a Notre Dame Respect Officer. Our Respect Officers have been specially trained to provide information and support to students who are experiencing any form of sexual assault, sexual harassment or family and domestic violence.
    • Trolling – trolling is when someone is deliberatively provocative or inflammatory online and waits for people to take the bait. Examples include people making anti-social comments on online posts which satirise others with the aim of causing offence or provoking a reaction, or posting an image or comment with the aim of frustrating/upsetting others.
    • Fake accounts and impersonation – online abusers may set up fake social media accounts pretending to be someone they are not in order to bully, harass or otherwise abuse people. They are also used to monitor and scam people into handing over money, gifts or intimate images or videos. Often these scams are run by organised crime syndicates.
    • Online hate – this includes targeted and persistent behaviour aimed at ridiculing, insulting, damaging or humiliating a person – this might target someone’s physical appearance, religion, gender, race, disability, sexual orientation and/or political beliefs.

      You can report online hate, trolling and fake accounts to the social media service or platform that hosts it — visit the eSafety Guide for direct reporting links. eSafety also provides advice around online scams and identity theft and how to protect your personal information.
    • Doxing and swatting – Doxing occurs when someone's personal details are shared or publicised online. This may result in offensive comments and unwanted calls or visits from strangers. Swatting occurs when an abuser makes a hoax call to emergency services to get a large number of police or emergency service responders to another person's address. This can be triggered by a false report of a bomb threat, hostage situation or someone at the address experiencing a mental health emergency, such as being suicidal.
      You can report doxing and swatting to police. For information about how to contact the police concerning cyber abuse, visit the eSafety website.
    • Other types of cyber abuse – cyber abuse can also include
      • sending obscene messages repeatedly to a person or their family, friends or work colleagues
      • threatening violence or inciting others to do the same – such as threats of death and sexual assault which may lead to physical contact and/or assault
      • encouraging someone to self-harm and/or commit suicide
      • posting or sharing other offensive and inappropriate content – this can include posting inflammatory comments.

  • Image-based abuse

    Image-based abuse is when someone shares or threatens to share an intimate image or video without the consent of the person pictured. This includes images or videos that have been digitally altered (e.g. using Photoshop or specialised software). Image-based abuse is sometimes referred to as ‘revenge porn’. In many cases, image-based abuse is not about ‘revenge’ or ‘porn’. It is actually a betrayal of trust and shows malicious intent to obtain power and control over someone else.

    According to this resource, statistics show that women are twice as likely as men to have their nude/sexual images shared without consent (15% of women versus 7% of men). Also that a high rate of young adults aged 18 to 24 are likely to have experienced image-based abuse (24% of young women and 16% of young men).

    Visit the eSafety website for information and advice about image-based abuse, including how you can take action. You can report image-based abuse to eSafety and request that images are removed.

    Sextortion is a type of image-based abuse. It is a form of blackmail where someone threatens to share intimate images of another person online unless they give in to the demands. These demands are typically for money, additional intimate images or sexual favours. Perpetrators often target people through dating apps, social media or webcams. While sextortion can be used by individuals, organised crime is often behind it when the perpetrator demands money. Commonly the perpetrator is not based in Australia.

    Visit the eSafety website for advice on sextortion and how you can take action. You can report image-based abuse to eSafety and request that images are removed.

  • Online scams

    Scammers contact thousands of email addresses and phone numbers every day, so there's a good chance you'll be contacted by a scammer some time, if you haven't been already. When scammers first contact you, they won’t have any information about you and probably won’t even know if your email or phone number is working. They are just hoping that one of the thousands of people they are trying to scam will respond, and unfortunately, many people do.

    Visit the eSatefy wesite for information and advice about online scams, including how to spot a scam, some examples of common scams, and what to do if you have been scammed.

Managing your time online

Being online supports our social connections, work and study and it can be very easy to find ourselves spending most of the day in front of a screen. To avoid the negative impacts of too much time online it is important to keep a balance between time online, and off.

The Guide to managing time online (a resource for university students produced by the eSafety Commissioner and Universities Australia) provides a range of useful strategies, as noted below.

  • How much is too much?

    The amount of time spent online that could be considered ‘too much’ will vary from person to person. When assessing your screen time, think through both the length of time online, as well as how it affects your friendships, family, health, work or study. Consider also the quality of any content or activities you engage with online — it’s not all the same. If the amount of time you spend online is negatively impacting your wellbeing, relationships or responsibilities, it is likely that you need to cut back.

  • Symptoms of spending too much time online

    The following signs may indicate that you are spending too much time online:

    • ongoing headaches, eye strain and sleep disturbance
    • neck, back or hand pain
    • online activities interfering with your health, wellbeing or relationships
    • regularly checking your device while trying to complete other tasks
    • constantly talking about things you have seen on social media
    • withdrawing from offline friends and activities
    • attributing more importance to your online activities and contacts than anything else
    • a decline in performance at work or university.

  • Ways to improve online habits

    Sometimes a little information is all you need to kick-start a change in your online habits.

    Strategies for study

    • Turn off notifications for social media or messaging apps on Apple and Android devices. You can also set ‘do not disturb’ periods to pause notifications.
    • Monitor or limit your phone use if you are constantly distracted. Many phones have settings that allow you to track time spent on apps and allow you to set daily usage limits. Activate these and look out for other apps that help you become more aware of how you use screen time.
    • Set routine breaks – if you are online for an hour or more, make sure you take a short break. This could include stretching or a short walk.
    • Set study objectives – use screen time to reward yourself for completing your study goals.

    Strategies for work

    • Turn off notifications for social media or messaging apps on Apple and Android devices.
    • Make a plan – set daily tasks you would like to achieve at work. This may help you to maintain focus and prevent the distraction of looking at your phone/ browsing social media.
    • Have a ‘no device’ policy when eating – or try to have lunch with a colleague/friend.
    • Set routine breaks – if you are online for an hour or more, make sure you take a short break away from the technology. Set a work routine, including regular breaks.
    • Implement strategies to minimise work-related stressors, for example don’t send or check emails outside of regular business hours.

    Strategies for socialising

    • Have a ‘no device’ policy when you are exercising or catching up with friends.
    • Check your gaming – if you spend too much time playing online games, read eSafety’s gaming advice for tips on how to handle it.
    • Make a plan to spend more time offline with friends or engaging in your favourite sports and other activities you enjoy.

    Strategies at home

    • Turn off notifications on Apple and Android devices.
    • Turn your devices off or put them on airplane/sleep mode at least an hour before bedtime to ensure you have the best quality sleep.
    • Have a ‘no device’ policy at mealtimes.
    • Have a device-free zone within your home.
    • Set routine breaks – if you are online for an hour or more, make sure you take a short break away from the technology. This could include stretching or a short walk.
    • Make a plan to spend more time offline with friends or engaging in your favourite sports and other activities you enjoy.
    • Monitor or limit your phone use if you are constantly distracted. Many phones have settings that allow you to track time spent on apps and allow you to set daily usage limits. Activate these and look out for other apps that help you become more aware of how you use screen time.

Where to get help

If you are in danger right now, contact the Police on Triple Zero (000). For non-emergencies, you can call the Police Assistance Line on 131 444 or contact your local police station.

  • Notre Dame support services

    Notre Dame is committed to the wellbeing and support of our students. If you have experienced online abuse and/or you would like support regarding your experiences online, you are warmly encouraged to contact any of these University support services:

    • Counselling support – the University has a free Counselling Service for students. Counselling is private and confidential which means that the counsellor will not inform your family, School or lecturers about what was discussed, or even that you attended an appointment. For more information, including how to make an appointment, visit the Counselling Service page.
    • Respect Officers – Notre Dame has Respect Officers on each campus to help and support students who have experienced sexual assault, sexual harassment, or family and domestic violence including online abuse. Our Respect Officers have been specially trained and they will:
      • respond with compassion and understanding
      • coordinate practical academic support for you as needed, to help you continue with your studies
      • help you to access University support services (e.g. Counselling, Chaplaincy) and external support services
      • provide information about formal reporting options
    • Access and Inclusion – the University is committed to providing an environment for students that is supportive and free from discrimination. Notre Dame strongly supports the admission of students with a disability and encourages those students to seek assistance from the Access and Inclusion Office to ensure they are able to participate in their course of study on equal terms with other students.
    • Chaplaincy – if you would like to speak with Chaplaincy or Chaplaincy staff, please visit Chaplaincy

  • External help for online abuse

    This student resource produced by the eSafety Commissioner working together with Universities Australia provides guidance on what to do if you have experienced online abuse. It says:

    For anyone targeted by online abuse there are a number of ways to address the issue.

    Firstly, difficult as it might be, try not to respond or retaliate. People who post hurtful comments and messages online often do so just to get a reaction.

    While your immediate reaction might be to make the abusive content disappear, it’s important to collect evidence that documents what is happening and report the abuse before you block or delete it. eSafety’s advice on collecting evidence can help.

    You can report the person or the abusive content to the service or platform where it was posted or shared. You can also report adult cyber abuse to eSafety (if the service or platform has not taken action 48 hours after your complaint to it). Image-based abuse should be reported to eSafety immediately. Then you can use all the tools available to you to block or mute anyone abusing you. If they reappear on a social media service or platform under a different name, block or mute them again.

    The eSafety website has a range of supports for anyone experiencing online abuse.

  • External help for managing the amount of time you spend online

    If you would like help managing the amount of time you spend online and its impact on your wellbeing, try contacting:

    Visit Respect@ND for a more extensive list of external support services for students.