A shocking level of disregard for cybersafety among Australian young people has been revealed in a new study carried out by Dr Mubarak Rahamathulla of Flinders University.

The students surveyed displayed numerous unsafe behaviours including sexting, public sharing of sensitive personal details and hijacking of their peers’ social media accounts.

Dr Rahamathulla believes these findings show that the current model of cybersafety education is not effective at curbing dangerous behaviours in the long term, and is currently developing an alternative based on user empowerment rather than scare tactics.

Responding to the study, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant reported that sadly, she is all too used to seeing the unintended consequences of risky online behaviour. Whether they know it or not, young people who share personal details leave themselves open to grooming and other forms of exploitation by sexual predators.

– Rebecca Baker

Read the full article: Why are young people ignoring cyber safety? Adelaide academic says it’s time for a new approach

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