Our collective ambition
In a digital world that moves at a rapid pace, parents are often left feeling overwhelmed and concerned about how to keep their child safe online and where to access accurate information. Beacon is the cyber safety solution parents can trust to provide accurate, evidence-based support.
To help parents protect and raise digitally responsible young people, Beacon needs to be delivered into the hands of all families. We can achieve this through targeted approaches to reach parents through cyber safety educators to act as a trusted messenger channel to recommend and encourage the use of Beacon in homes and schools.
The Beacon Vision
The trusted, go-to cyber safety app for parents and carers of primary and secondary aged children that provides up to date and tailored content giving users confidence and empowerment to ensure kids grow up safe in the online world.
The Kids Research Institute Australia
The Kids Research Institute Australia is one of the largest and most successful not-for-profit health and medical research institutes in Australia. Our vision is simple- happy, healthy kids. We bring together community, researchers, practitioners, policy makers and funders, who share our mission to improve the health, development and lives of children and young people through excellence in research. Importantly, we want knowledge applied so it makes a difference.
Find out more about the work we do.
Dolly's Dream
Dolly’s Dream has partnered with The Kids Research Institute Australia to deliver the Beacon app, a cyber safety app that provides parents and carers with the knowledge, skills and support to help their children thrive in the digital world.
Dolly’s Dream was created by Kate and Tick Everett following the shattering loss of their 14-year-old daughter, Dolly, to suicide, after ongoing bullying.
Kate and Tick’s goal is to prevent other families walking this road. They want to change the culture of bullying by addressing the impact of bullying, anxiety, depression and youth suicide, through education and direct support to young people and families. Dolly’s Dream is proudly brought to you by the Alannah & Madeline Foundation.
Visit the Dolly's Dream website.
eSafety Commissioner
The eSafety Commissioner (eSafety) is Australia's national independent regulator for online safety. eSafety works to safeguard Australians at risk from online harms and to promote safer, more positive online experiences.
eSafety leads and coordinates the online safety efforts of government, industry and the not-for-profit community in Australia.
This includes:
- Administring complaints scehemes for cyberbullying, image-based abuse and illegal and harmful content
- Providing education and prevention to enhance awareness of online safety issues and increasing prevention and response capabilities. They also develop targeted content for young people, schools, women and seniors
Visit the eSafety Commissioner website.
Common Sense Media
Since 2003, Common Sense Media has been the leading source of entertainment and technology recommendations for families and schools in America. Every day, millions of parents and educators trust Common Sense reviews and advice to help them navigate the digital world with their kids. Together with policy makers, industry leaders and global media partners, Common Sense are building a digital world that workds better for all kids, their families and their communities.
Visit the Common Sense Media website.
How it all began
A partnership between The Kids Research Institute Australia and Bankwest was prompted by Bankwest's research findings, which revealed high levels of concern among Australians for children's online safety and confusion over where to seek help and advice.
Bankwest's three-year funding commitment from 2019-2022 enabled the cyber safety research by The Kids Research Institute Australia to be put into practice through the development of the Beacon Cyber Safety App.
With the help of Reach Health Promotion Innovations, the app was developed and released in September 2020, and is available nation-wide on iOS and Android devices.
