A landmark national report released in June reveals that online safety education, when delivered effectively in schools, leads to positive progress in student knowledge, behaviour, and wellbeing.
The report, Lessons in Safety: Understanding Effective Online Education in Australian Schools, is jointly launched by Pivot Professional Learning (Pivot) and the Cyber Safety Project (CSP).
It details the outcomes of a pilot program across seven schools involving over 880 students. It presents clear evidence that online safety can be taught with measurable success – and highlights the critical role of trained, trusted educators in achieving improvement in online safety knowledge, skills, behaviours and attitudes.
Key insights include:
- 93.4 per cent of students adopted safer digital online behaviours post-program.
- +30.6 per cent improvement in students creating secure passwords.
- Strong teacher-student relationships enhance the impact of online safety outcomes.
- The CSP curriculum is a valid and effective framework for digital online safety education.
Ms Cleo Westhorpe, Co-Founder of Pivot, said there’s no such thing as ‘too early’ when it comes to online safety education.
“This pilot proves that we can teach online safety well effectively – success hinges not only on quality content, but also building trust, boosting teacher confidence, and opening space for honest, critical conversations,” she said.
The report’s release comes ahead of legislation that will restrict under-16s from accessing certain social media platforms from November 2025, intensifying the pressure on schools to deliver robust and effective digital safety education.
The report offers actionable recommendations for both school communities and policy-makers, including:
- Invest in regular ongoing, evidence-based professional development, delivered by trusted, high-quality providers.
- Monitor student wellbeing across both digital and physical spaces to amplify the impact of online safety initiatives.
- Tailor programs to fit each school’s unique context, with built-in measures to track progress and effectiveness.
- Raise the bar for curriculum quality and design to ensure maximum reach and long-term impact.
“CSP’s approach empowers both educators and students to feel more confident navigating online spaces. Every young person deserves access to this vital education. We want to see this embedded into every school,” said Mr Trent Ray, Co-Founder of Cyber Safety Project.
Download the full report: Lessons in Safety: Understanding Effective Online Education in Australian Schools
