Sean Lyons: Netsafe Chief Online Officer on the survey revealing a desire for a safer internet

New Zealand children have had their say on what they want from a safer internet. 

A Save the Children and Netsafe survey of a thousand young people aged six to eighteen finds more than half feel safe online. 

Around three quarters believe greater control over ads, and stronger protections from harmful content are needed. 

Netsafe Chief Online Officer Sean Lyons told Andrew Dickens it needs to be a joint effort. 

He says it's the responsibility of parents to keep an eye and provide support, but it's also on regulation and the platforms. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So new data shows only one in three Kiwi periods
have rules around their children's use of social media well
the other two out of three doing while a report
by Save the Children add net Safe shows over seventy
five percent of Kiwi kids what greater restrictions on harmful content.
It comes as TikTok presented new child safety features to

(00:20):
Parliament on Wednesday. So I'm joined now by netsafe's online
safety officer, Sean Lyons, and good Morningita.

Speaker 2 (00:26):
Sean, good morning.

Speaker 1 (00:28):
So you spoke to nearly one thousand kids around New
Zealand and you found out what they want, and they
want less nasties. So why are the adults still faffing about?

Speaker 2 (00:37):
Well, I mean, I think part of that is they
should be listening to those young users that are out
there beriencing some of those challenges online. Those young people
had a real common sense approach to what it was
that they wanted. They understand and recognize that there's good
stuff that they see online, that they do online, but
also that there are steps that could be taken to

(00:58):
make them safer online. And you know, like I said,
I think it's a real common sense approach that they've
come up with.

Speaker 1 (01:03):
Yeah, the kids want to be safe online. So who
is responsible for these kids seeing harmful content online? Is
it the content providers or is it the government with
laws and regulations, or is it the parents?

Speaker 2 (01:15):
Well, I mean who's responsible for them seeing it would
be the people that put harmful content online and those
that seek to harm individuals. And that's as much the
case for young people as it is for adults. And
in terms of whose responsibility is it to stop that
or deal with that situation, it's a joint responsibility. And
it goes from the responsibility of parents to ensure that

(01:38):
they know what they are young people are doing and
provide support for it for young people directly if they
need it. But it's also about regulation, it's also about
the platforms, and it's also about education and the support
that young people get. But the main thing is it's
really about empowering young people to ensure that they know
how to look after themselves, how to how to deal

(01:59):
with the situation that they come across.

Speaker 1 (02:02):
And that's very sensible and go the kids. But here's
the thing. The thing that got me is that two
out of three QUEUE parents have no rules around their
children's use of social media. So what would you like
to say to those parents.

Speaker 2 (02:16):
Certainly when it's no rules at all, that that's something
that needs to be reviewed and reviewed regularly. I mean
that may well be because without rules, what they have
is other systems in place, or they have a degree
of confidence in their young people that they know what
to do. We could be talking about parents of fifteen
sixteen year olds who feel that their children are incredibly

(02:39):
well equipped to deal with the challenges that they experience.
And if that's the case, then so be it are
real worry is that that comes out of parents who
don't really understand or haven't really engaged. But's what it
is that those online spaces and places that they're young
people are in look like. And really what we would
the challenge I get that we would give to parents
in that situation is that is the case, then this

(03:01):
is the time to step in, take a look yourself,
talk to you young people about what it is that
they experience and how they handle both challenges online, and
if you still feel like there's no need to put
anything in place, then that's that's an informed decision. I
think the likelihood is in that case that it's then time.
What you will find out is that it's time to
institute something around those young people, be that educating them,

(03:23):
be that making a plan, be that working out what
it is and isn't. It's stickling your house, but something
will probably need to step into that place.

Speaker 1 (03:30):
Sean very good work. That is Sean Lyon's the net
Safetief Online Safety Officer. For more from earlier edition with
Ryan Bridge, listen live to news talks. It'd be from
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