Community Articles

Year 7 students suffering high school anxiety need help

The Daily Telegraph PRIMARY school students making the transition to high school need to be given extra support from teachers and parents to stop episodes of anxiety and depression being triggered by the upheaval. Ross Bark runs programs across NSW helping children make the switch from primary to high school. “Students face a lot of anxiety about this time period which can spiral into more serious issues. In primary school they’ve developed an established group Read more…

By Darren Bark, ago

The sex predators operating online, targeting mobile savvy teenage victims with shock tactics

EXPERTS have warned of the shocking tactics sex predators employ in order to lure unsuspecting child victims, including infiltrating popular mobile apps. The growing use of smartphones among young Australians is putting them at risk of contact with paedophiles, as well as a bombardment of explicit content. Cyber safety expert Ross Bark said kids weren’t equipped with the knowledge and maturity to navigate the dangers of the online world. “People are waiting there (on mobile Read more…

By Darren Bark, ago

Smartphone Sleazebags – Cyber Safety

A Current Affair – Channel 9 Parents would like to think they know what their children and teenagers are up to on their smartphones. But the truth is, they rarely do. In a world hooked on social media apps, online predators easily connect with millions of minors, literally at their fingertips within seconds. See Ross Bark’s comments from tonights A Current Affair. This is a must see – particularly for parents with teens and young children. Read more…

By Darren Bark, ago

eSafety Commission Survey – Shock new research reveals the extent of the dangerous content young people are being bombarded with online

The Daily Telegraph Cyber safety expert Ross Bark runs courses in schools across NSW and had encountered cases of Year 5 and 6 students who were being sent links to violent material on Snapchat by people believed to be extremists. More than 2400 young people aged 12-17 years old were surveyed by the eSafety Commission for the research, which showed one in three Australian children have been exposed to terrorist propaganda online, with disturbing reports Read more…

By Darren Bark, ago

Mum’s warning to parents as daughter, 12, groomed over Kik Messenger app

news.com.au About two weeks ago, Sarah (not her real name) was carrying out a random check of her 12-year-old daughter’s iPad — as she does regularly with all the devices her kids use — when she stopped in horror. In about five separate conversations, men, claiming to be 23 and 25 years old, had been seeking information from her 12-year-old daughter, asking where she lived and how they could meet her. Then there were the Read more…

By Darren Bark, ago

Bully victims urged to tell tales online

CHILDREN and young people who have been the victims of schoolyard, workplace and cyber bullying could be asked to talk about their experiences to a NSW Parliamentary inquiry via the internet. The final public hearing of the inquiry into bullying will be held tomorrow, but the chairwoman, Robyn Parker, MLC, hopes to receive more submissions from young people via an online forum. Mrs Parker will put the proposal – a first for a Legislative Council Read more…

By Darren Bark, ago

Bill to stop workplace bullies

Victims of workplace bullying will be able to go to Fair Work Australia to seek an order preventing the offender from continuing to harass or intimidate. At the launch of Bully Free Australia Foundation at Essendon Fields on Saturday, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Bill Shorten announced the new bill will be introduced to the House of Representatives next week. He said the new laws would “make [bullying] a problem that is dealt with Read more…

By Darren Bark, ago