Child rights organisation, ChildFund Australia, is joining forces with The Girls and Boys Brigade to launch the Swipe Safe app, an innovative online safety tool that has been internationally beta-tested.  

Swipe Safe aims to strengthen children’s knowledge, skills, and behaviours to help protect them from online risks such as scams, cyberbullying, grooming, and exposure to harmful content. 

With the rapid digital transformation occurring in the regions where ChildFund operates, including Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Fiji, and the Solomon Islands, children are increasingly vulnerable to these dangers.  

In response, ChildFund created the Swipe Safe program, which includes this newly developed app to address those risks. The app has been tested in five phases, involving face-to-face training and direct testing with tens of thousands of children in the aforementioned countries. 

Related: ChildFund Australia release life changing Impact Report

To bring this crucial tool to Australian families, ChildFund has teamed up with The Girls and Boys Brigade. Additionally, Sonya Ryan, the founder of Carly’s Law and an advocate for online child safety, has signed on as an ambassador for the Swipe Safe initiative. 

As part of the Australian launch, Swipe Safe has undergone further testing with families from The Girls and Boys Brigade, who have shared valuable feedback. Independent oversight of the app has been provided by Professor Amanda Third, Co-Director of the Young and Resilient Research Centre at Western Sydney University. 

The official launch will take place on Thursday, 26 September, at 3:30pm, at The Girls and Boys Brigade in Surry Hills.  

Key figures in attendance will include Corinne Habel, ChildFund’s Chief Development Officer, and Stephanie Fett, Family Support Coordinator at The Girls and Boys Brigade.