The federal government has announced a $10 million funding boost for online safety, after an increase in Australians reporting negative online experiences, including cyber bullying, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A report by Australia’s eSafety Commissioner found that while Australians found online services essential during the pandemic, negative experiences were also common.
The report found more Australians are facing online harms, with four in 10 saying they had a negative experience online during the first few months on the coronavirus pandemic.
The survey conducted in late May surveyed over 1,200 Australians adults and found unwanted contact and unwelcome messages were the most common negative experience online.
Most Australians found the internet important or essential during the lockdown with high numbers of people going online to pay bills and banking (87 per cent), to access the news ( 82 per cent) and to stay in touch with family and friends (80 per cent).
Seventy-five per cent of Australians surveyed said they used the internet to work during the period, while lower numbers (39 per cent) said they did their grocery shopping online.
"What this report shows us is that during this extraordinary moment in history the internet has allowed Australians to work, learn and play in ways we probably didn’t think possible before this pandemic and it will continue to change the way we harness technology for the foreseeable future," eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said.
"But the data also confirms that while we were all staying home to stop the spread of COVID-19, a significant number of Australians were also having negative experiences online," she said.
The report comes as the government announces a $10 million funding boost for eSafety, making sure Australians can access vital online safety support.
Cyber Safety Minister Paul Fletcher said there has been an increase of around 70 per cent in internet traffic on the NBN during the day, as more people work from home.
"The extra internet usage is a very good thing but a small proportion of human interactions online are bad ones," Mr Fletcher told ABC television's Insiders program on Sunday.
"That's why the eSafety Commissioner is there to support Australians who have been the victim of cyber bullying, unauthorised sharing of intimate images and so on."
Commissioner Grant said she believes the increase in online harm is here to stay.
"This reinforces what we’ve been seeing during the first few months of this pandemic, with spikes in the numbers of people coming to us for help, after being abused online or having intimate images shared without their consent," Ms Grant said.
"Even as many of us start to return to our workplaces and schools, these numbers aren't dropping and it's looking like this level of online harm could become our 'new normal'."
The report said that the increase in internet usage may be a feature that remains even after the pandemic is over, as people get used to doing key tasks online.
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