As online child exploitation (OCE) continues to rise in Australia, new research from Griffith University suggests parents and carers may be the most important, and overlooked, factor in preventing harm.
The study, involving parents and carers of children aged 11 to 17, found while many families were aware of online risks, what can make a difference in how effective they were in keeping their kids safe online, is whether they felt responsible, concerned, and motivated enough to act on that knowledge.
Associate Professor Jacqueline Drew from the Griffith Criminology Institute, who led the study, said while many existing prevention programs focused on educating children or promoting technological solutions, there was a need to more directly engage parents as "active guardians" in their children's online lives.
"There's a human element we need to overlay onto hard protections; we cannot rely on social media or gaming platforms to keep our children safe," she said.
The findings showed parents with greater knowledge of online safety strategies were significantly more likely to use them, but this was further strengthened when combined with the right mindset and awareness.
Parents who felt personally responsible for their child's safety were more likely to act; higher levels of concern were linked to stronger protective behaviours and misconceptions about who was at risk reduced effective prevention.
"Parents who believe, for example, that OCE offenders only target teenage girls may be more complacent in protecting their younger children or sons from nefarious online actors," explained Professor Drew.
"If parents believe their children are not at risk because they ensure they only access age-appropriate online gaming, they may become less vigilant, taking fewer proactive actions to supervise their children's online activities, even though in reality many OCE offenders are targeting kids on these platforms."
It was concluded that beyond increasing knowledge, additional elements should be added to crime prevention advice and education curriculum designed for parental guardians.
These included debunking myths about online child exploitation, fostering stronger concern about OCE risks, reinforcing a personal sense of responsibility for children's online safety and reducing reliance on third parties or solutions.
'Translating crime prevention knowledge into protective behaviours: Mobilising parental guardians in protecting children online' has been published in the Journal of Criminology.
