eSafety Youth Advisory Council meets in-person for first time

Young people across Australia are sharing their hopes and aspirations for the internet and online safety. The eSafety Commission’s Youth Advisory Council includes 24 young members from across the country and we are pleased to celebrate their first in-person meeting after months of online engagement and collaboration.

First announced in 2021, the Young and Resilient Research Centre helped shape this national youth opportunity by conducting a Living Lab process that co-designed recommendations about its structure. Our Youth Engagement Report provided information about youth perspectives on messaging, our suggested process for establishing a Youth Advisory Council, and a draft Aspirational Statement to underpin the Engagement Strategy for Young People.

Since the Council was established in April 2022, its members – all aged 13-24 – were given opportunities to have their say and offer valuable perspectives about the issues they face online. Last month they gathered in-person to exchange insights with eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant, Minister for Early Childhood Education and Youth Dr. Anne Aly, and Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland. The Youth Advisory Council networked with senior leaders from industry to discuss the concerns and the ideas raised in the Council’s open letter. Leaders from Google, Microsoft, Pinterest, Snap Inc. Twitter, TikTok, Amazon and Meta were in attendance and listened to youth perspectives.

The group also discussed online safety messaging for young gamers and certain youth council members co-presented information through a panel discussion.

We’re proud to share the Young & Resilient team has been described as the ‘key architects’ of the eSafety Youth Advisory engagement model and we look forward to seeing the Advisory Council’s future achievements.

Read more about the eSafety Youth Council here: https://www.esafety.gov.au/young-people/esafety-youth-council