The eSafety Commissioner has joined forces with the Australian Football League (AFL) to tackle online safety within the AFL community by launching a new social campaign calling on everyone to “Play It Safe and Fair – Online and Offline”.
The Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant said the issue of online safety was one that effected people of all ages and walks of life.
“Which is why this collaboration with the AFL, with its huge fan base, is such a great way to encourage footy fans to consider the impact online abuse can have on all of us,” Ms Inman Grant said.
“The campaign will kick off with the release of a set of easy-to-follow guidelines developed by eSafety to encourage fans to be respectful online, be upstanding online citizens, and think about how their actions can affect others,” she said.
“The internet can provide the cheapest seats in the house with the belief that abuse can be hurled with impunity.”
Ms Inman Grant said people tended to vent their frustrations online and targeted negativity could be very damaging to the person on the receiving end of it.
“We must not give a platform for this abuse and we need people to realise that this behaviour is not okay,” she said.
“Change begins with one person – you – and by thinking about how you conduct yourself and interact with others online, you can help change the game.”
She said the new campaign – #PlayFairOnline – was part of an ongoing collaboration between her Office and the AFL which began earlier this year.
