eSafety Mighty Heroes video series
About this resource
These animated videos are designed to assist lower primary educators help children learn about online safety and build good habits when using technology.
Age range for this resource
For educators, parents, and carers of children aged 5 to 8 years.
Goal of this resource
To foster children’s sense of wellbeing and online safety.
To provide children with strategies, habits, and behaviours for maintaining their own safety when using online environments.
How might educators use this resource?
Co-view these animated videos with children in the lower primary years (e.g., Foundation to Year 3 in Australia). These four videos explore important online safety principles in a fun and engaging way using characters based on Australian animals who each have an online safety superpower. Use the accompanying curriculum-aligned classroom resources and activities to guide conversations with children about the importance of exhibiting online safety behaviours whilst using internet-connected technologies.
How might families use this resource?
Co-view these animated videos with your lower primary aged child(ren) then use the conversation starters provided in the videos to discuss and reflect on the online safety messages being addressed by the main characters.
How might organisations use this resource?
Share a link to these animated videos in your newsletter and/or communications with educators and families. Highlight how learning about online safety is a requirement of Belonging, Being, and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia V2.0 (Australian Government Department of Education, 2022) and Australian Curriculum V9.0 (Australian Curriculum, Assessment, and Reporting Authority, 2024).
What learning might we see?
Educators, parents, and carers understanding how to teach important online safety behaviours to children.
Children becoming aware of important online safety behaviours and strategies (e.g., protecting personal information, being kind and respectful to others, asking a trusted adult for help when something does not feel right in an online space, investigating the authenticity of online content and/or interactions).
Practices
Knowing
Children and adults know about the people and data they are interacting with using internet-connected technologies.
Area
Citizenship
Citizenship in digital contexts recognises that young children are active participants in their communities now and into the future. As citizens, young children respect their own rights and those of other people, and develop an appreciation for cultural, racial, gender, and religious diversity. Digital rights, digital privacy, online safety, and cyber-safety education provide a foundation for early citizenship in digital contexts.
Connection to relevant standards
Belonging, Being, and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia V2.0 (Australian Government Department of Education, 2022)
Outcome 1: Children have a strong sense of identity
Children feel safe, secure, and supported (e.g., Children establish and maintain respectful, trusting relationships with other children and educators).
Children develop their emerging autonomy, inter-dependence, resilience, and agency (e.g., Educators provide children with strategies to make informed choices about their actions, interactions, and behaviours).
Children develop knowledgeable, confident self-identities and a positive sense of self-worth (e.g., Educators support children to identify and assess risks in play and learning and to cope with the unexpected).
Children learn to interact in relation to others with care, empathy, and respect (e.g., Children recognise safe and unsafe situations; Children identify trusted adults and friends; Educators support children to learn about and recognise safe and unsafe situations).
Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world
Children develop a sense of connectedness to groups and communities and an understanding of their reciprocal rights and responsibilities as active and informed citizens (e.g., Educators provide opportunities for children to investigate ideas, complex concepts, and ethical issues that are relevant to their lives and their local communities).
Outcome 3: Children have a strong sense of wellbeing
Children become strong in their social, emotional, and mental wellbeing (e.g., Educators discuss and model appropriate use of digital technologies and discuss how to keep children safe online with children and families; Educators update their own learning of digital and cyber safety for children).
Children are aware of and develop strategies to support their own mental and physical health and personal safety (e.g., Educators learn about e-safety for children and embed and model safe digital practices).
Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners
Children resource their own learning through connecting with people, place, technologies, and natural and processed materials (e.g., Educators select and introduce appropriate tools, technologies, and media and provide the skills, knowledge and techniques to enhance children’s learning; Educators develop their skills and knowledge with digital technologies and media in their curriculum to use them confidently with children).
Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators
Children engage with a range of texts and gain meaning from these texts (e.g., Children view and listen to printed, visual, and multimedia texts and respond with relevant gestures, actions, comments, and/or questions).
Children express ideas and make meaning using a range of media (e.g., Children view, listen and respond to simple printed, visual, and multimedia texts or music and express how it makes them feel).
Children use digital technologies and media to access information, investigate ideas, and represent their thinking (e.g., Educators teach children critical reflection skills and encourage them to evaluate the quality and trustworthiness of information sources; Educators have opportunities to develop their own knowledge and understanding of appropriate digital technology use and safety with children and families).
National Quality Standard (Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority, 2019)
Quality Area 1: Educational program and practice (e.g., Educators are deliberate, purposeful, and thoughtful in their decisions and actions; Each child’s agency is promoted, enabling them to make choices and decisions that influence events and their world).
Quality Area 2: Children’s health and safety (e.g., Each child’s wellbeing and comfort is provided for, including appropriate opportunities to meet each child’s need for sleep, rest, and relaxation; At all times, reasonable precautions and adequate supervision ensure children are protected from harm and hazard).
Quality Area 5: Relationships with children (e.g., Responsive and meaningful interactions build trusting relationships which engage and support each child to feel secure, confident, and included; The dignity and rights of every child are maintained).
Quality Area 6: Collaborative partnerships with families and communities (e.g., Current information is available to families about the service and relevant community services and resources to support parenting and family wellbeing).
National Principles for Child Safe Organisations (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2018)
Principle 1: Child safety and wellbeing is embedded in organisational leadership, governance, and culture.
Principle 2: Children and young people are informed about their rights, participate in decisions affecting them, and are taken seriously.
Principle 3: Families and communities are informed and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing.
Principle 5: People working with children and young people are suitable and supported to reflect child safety and wellbeing values in practice.
Principle 7: Staff and volunteers are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and awareness to keep children and young people safe through ongoing education and training.
Principle 8: Physical and online environments promote safety and wellbeing while minimising the opportunity for children and young people to be harmed.
Explore More
If these ideas are new to you, explore these related resources:
eSafety Lower Primary Professional Learning Modules
These self-paced and interactive modules support lower primary educators with teaching online safety to children.
How our class stays safe online
Developed by the eSafety Commissioner, this resource assists educators with creating a class tech agreement about online safety with students using discussion questions, a poster, and guidelines.
Online safety classroom posters
Developed by the eSafety Commissioner, these posters are designed to support children with having positive safe experiences online.
For more ideas, explore these related resources:
This picture book supports parents, carers, and educators to discuss issues with children around online safety.
Creating a family tech agreement for 5- to 8-year-olds
Developed by the eSafety Commissioner, this resource guides parents and carers with creating a family tech agreement with children based on the online safety tips addressed by the Mighty Heroes characters.
If you would like to read some research, explore these related resources:
Quayyum, F., Cruzes, D. S., & Jaccheri, L. (2021). Cybersecurity awareness for children: A systematic literature review. International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction, 30, Article 100343. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212868921000581
Walsh, K., Pink, E., Ayling, N., Sondergeld, A., Dallaston, E., Tournas, P., Serry, E., Trotter, S., Spanos, T., & Rogic, N. (2022). Best practice framework for online safety education: Results from a rapid review of the international literature, expert review, and stakeholder consultation. International Journal of Child-computer Interaction, 33, Article 100474. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcci.2022.100474