Inaugural Digital Childhoods Summit addresses children’s wellbeing and safety
In the photo: Lucy Thomas OAM (PROJECT ROCKIT), Julie Inman Grant (eSafety Commissioner), and Professor Michael Dezuanni (Digital Child & QUT).
The Safety panel discussion responded to the question: How might we ensure the safety of young children using digital technologies?
Over seventy people gathered in Canberra today for the Digital Child’s inaugural Digital Childhoods Summit.
The Digital Childhoods Summit is concerned with children’s wellbeing and safety within the digital world.
With a focus on policy and practice, the Summit is a peak meeting of the many key stakeholders – including government, regulators, industry, and the community sector – who care for children and their digital lives.
The program includes four panel discussions on safety, inclusion, health & wellbeing, and digital futures.
Panellists for the first day included:
- Julie Inman Grant (eSafety Commissioner)
- Sarah Davies AM (Alannah & Madeline Foundation),
- Lucy Thomas OAM (PROJECT ROCKIT),
- Taryn Marks (Career Trackers),
- Heather Spaccavento (The Smith Family), and
- Dale Murray (Life Without Barriers).
Panellists on the second day are:
- Jackie Hallan (Reach Out),
- Imogen Bell (Orygen Digital),
- Bridianne O’Dea (Black Dog Institute),
- Elliot Pace (Youth Ambassador, eSafety),
- Jorja Sigtenhorst (Youth Ambassador, UNICEF Australia), and
- Annabel Astbury (ABC Education).
The result of the Summit will be a landscape report, articulating the current opportunities and challenges for supporting children’s wellbeing and safety within the digital world. It will be released in late July.
The Digital Child would like to thank our Summit steering committee for their contributions to the event. The Steering Committee was comprised of Professor Simon Smith (Chair), John Livingstone (UNICEF Australia), Jackie Coates (Telstra Foundation), Ainsleigh Hawke & Kelly Tallon (Office of the eSafety Commissioner), and Benjamin French (SNAICC).
With international and domestic discussions on banning children and young people from social media, this report is a timely contribution that aims to inform stakeholders working with and for children in Australia.
In the photo: Attendees listen to Dale Murray (Life without Barriers), Heather Spaccavento (The Smith Family), Taryn Marks (Career Trackers), and Professor Grace Sarra (Digital Child & QUT).
The Inclusion panel responded to the question: How might we address inequality in access to digital technologies?
