Western Australia’s LGBTIQ+ community are being supported to navigate the online world safely with the launch of new resources from Australia’s eSafety Commissioner.
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said the resources featured guidance on a range of issues, from dealing with trolls to meeting people online.
Ms Inman Grant said eSafety research revealed that LGBTIQ+ people were more than twice as likely to experience online hate speech than other Australians, with 30 per cent targeted compared to 14 per cent of the general population.
She said the new LGBTIQ+ learning lounge resources and ‘Play nice, stay safe’ digital campaign provided advice about key topics like responding to online hate and how to have safer relationships online.
“Our research and reports of targeted harassment tell us that many LGBTIQ+ people will experience online abuse at some point in their lives,” Ms Inman Grant said.
“The internet is a vital source of information, support and connection (and) for the LGBTIQ+ community, the digital world can be a lifeline,” she said.
“But we also know that online spaces can be exclusionary and unsafe!”
Ms Inman Grant said targeted online hate and harassment directed at LGBTIQ+ people could be pervasive.
“Understanding how to protect yourself online can help to reduce the incidence and impact of abuse, and this guidance equips individuals with the right tools to respond while encouraging us all to play nice and stay safe online,” the Commissioner said.
She said eSafety’s mission was to help all Australians have safer, more positive experiences online.
“Protecting diverse voices online and making it harder to suppress these voices is a key part of this work, and these new resources will provide meaningful support and encourage behavioural change,” Ms Inman Grant said.
“We can also help people who are experiencing serious online abuse by providing a safety net, investigating reports and working to get harmful content taken down.”
She said the LGBTIQ+ learning lounge covered three main topics: Meeting online, Dealing with online abuse and Building resilience.
“Each topic houses multiple sections with content relevant to the community, providing an easy and accessible way for individuals to find the support they need,” Ms Inman Grant said.
She said anyone experiencing online abuse should report it and if the content isn’t removed it can be reported to eSafety.
The eSafety learning lounge resources can be accessed at this PS News link.
