24 Aug Newly Introduced Beacon App Combats Cyberbullying

Dolly’s Dream has partnered with the Telethon Kids Institute to get Beacon, the free cyber safety app, into the hands of parents and carers nationwide.

The newly introduced Beacon app offers a lifeline to parents and caregivers, providing essential resources to tackle the growing threat of cyberbullying head-on.

Cyberbullying’s escalating prevalence and its detrimental effects on young lives have raised alarms among families. The Beacon app, co-developed with input from parents, caregivers, and cyber safety experts, offers a practical toolkit to navigate the complexities of children’s digital engagement. Tailored content, including articles, videos, and alerts, addresses critical topics like screen time management, gaming, and cyberbullying, with real-time updates reflecting Australia’s dynamic online landscape.

Built upon over 15 years of cyber safety research and more than three decades of bullying research by the Telethon Kids Institute, the Beacon app has garnered over 25,000 downloads since its launch in 2020. This innovative solution arms families with reliable information to ensure safer digital interactions for their children.

The app’s features empower families to ppersonalisetheir experience based on their children’s ages, interests, and devices. One notable feature is an interactive tool facilitating ccustomisedfamily agreements. These agreements foster open conversations about positive online behaviour, screen time limits, and device-free zones—proven strategies to mitigate cyberbullying’s impact.

Associate Professor Francis Mitrou of the Telethon Kids Institute highlights that Beacon‘s interactive tools facilitate vital family discussions. Such conversations serve as a cornerstone for modelling healthy online behaviour and protecting children from cyberbullying’s potential harm.

Dolly’s Dream, inspired by Kate and Tick Everett’s  heartbreaking loss of their 14-year-old daughter, Dolly, to cyberbullying-induced suicide, is on a mission to transform the bullying culture. By providing families with the Beacon app, Dolly’s Dream and the Telethon Kids Institute extend a lifeline to communities across Australia, especially in rural and remote areas.

“We don’t want other families to ever have to go through the heartache we have experienced. We hope Beacon will continue to provide the support and information to families and communities that we wish we had.”

More than 50 local, state and national oorganisations– including government, national cyber safety educators, the technology industry, nationally rrecognisedsupport services and not-for-profit community oorganisations–support Beacon Australia-wide.
The Beacon app is free and available now to download for iOS and Android devices. Link here.