What does the Swipe Safe curriculum cover?

The curriculum teaches participants about six underlying concepts of the internet (Public, Permanent, Connections, Anonymity, Sources of Information, and Respect) that embody online interactions. Swipe Safe encourages participants to think critically about each concept, and to build practical skills through practical activities. While the Swipe Safe App and training program are both built around the same six key concepts, there are some differences in how participants move through the content across the face-to-face training, and the App.

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Swipe Safe Curriculum (Young People) – face-to-face

Through the Swipe Safe curriculum, children participate in role play that encourages critical thinking about online interactions. They also complete activities using training smartphones to build their online safety skills. There are three sessions:

Swipe Safe App

The Swipe Safe App teases out the six key concepts of the internet into 12 learning modules. Young people navigate choose-your-own-adventure scenarios, where they give advice to a friend who has encountered a risky situation online. They also practice their online safety skills through multiple choice activities, and technical step-by-step guides. The learning modules are:

Set-Up: Introduction to the App and creation of a personalised Safety Plan

My online reputation

Understand that the way you act online impacts how people see you and how to protect your online reputation.

How Swipe Safe Works

Swipe Safe uses a peer-to-peer training model to help young people navigate online interactions. Tech-savvy youth facilitators – trained and supported by our staff – take younger participants through online safety activities over three face-to-face sessions. Training smartphones help participants practice in real time how to implement protective strategies. Activities include learning how to use safety and security features of popular Apps as well as interacting with hypothetical stories of online risks.

In addition to the training of core groups (children and young people, parents and caregivers, and professionals), the model also includes outcomes related to child protection system strengthening (referral pathways and response services for online harm), youth-led advocacy and integrating online safety into national systems, making Swipe Safe a holistic protection program.

Why us?

ChildFund has a wealth of knowledge and a unique understanding of protecting children’s digital rights. In the countries where ChildFund works, we have found that education and knowledge around online safety is still in its infancy. But we wanted to go one step further – to see how we could help respond to and prevent harm to children online.

ChildFund Australia, along with Plan International Australia and the Young and Resilient Research Centre at Western Sydney University, carried out research on online risk and safety for young people across the Pacific and South-East Asia.

We found that while children are confident in their online abilities and are broadly aware of online risks, they do not always have the digital skills to protect themselves online. Meanwhile, their parents and carers reported low levels of confidence in their ability to provide support, as they did not have the digital literacy skills to provide protection in this space. It was clear to us that we needed to mobilise parents, youth, schools, frontline workers and the private sector and help build a more protective environment for children online.