Warrnambool children as young as eight being bullied online

Youth resource officer Leading Senior Constable John Keats said the number of young people being contacted by predators or being bullied online had skyrocketed.

"The last few years the number of people being bullied online or enticed by people online to send through a photo has increased at an alarming rate," Senior Constable Keats said.

He said parents needed to be extremely vigilant when it came to monitoring their child's online activities.

Senior Constable Keats said bullying through a number of online platforms was a major concern, as was adults contacting young people via online gaming.

"We've seen there are gangs who entice young people to send a photo of themselves through online gaming," Senior Constable Keats said.

The predator then attempts to extort money from the young person with the threat of exposing the photo online.

Senior Constable Keats said parents needed to ensure they were protecting their children.

"You can't blame a young person," Senior Constable Keats said.

"They've been given access to these devices."

Senior Constable Keats said there were also a number of young people who reported being bullied online by someone they know.

"We do a lot of mediation and try to resolve the situation," Senior Constable Keats said.

He said it was important young people knew about the possible consequences of their online behaviour.

"We talk about reputation and how in years to come they may be seen as a person who was a bully online," Senior Constable Keats said.

"We really reinforce to them that everything you do online is part of your resume."

The Warrnambool mother of a 17-year-old girl who died of suicide in February this year said her daughter was a victim of online bullying.

Tash Lambert said her daughter Josie Pinheiro was a victim of online bullying.

She said her daughter was bullied at school and there was no escape when she came home, with some people continuing the bullying online.

Ms Pinheiro said she believed schools needed to step in when the bullying was between students.

Her comments come as it was revealed the number of complaints made to the eSafety Commissioner more than tripled in the past four years.

Children aged eight to 13 made close to 740 complaints to the commissioner in 2022, up from around 200 reports in 2019.

In May this year alone, the commissioner received 230 complaints of bullying online including reports of people posting nasty comments and offensive pictures.

"We're pleased that more Australian children and young people know we're here to support them when platforms fail to act," Acting eSafety Commissioner Toby Dagg said.

"But the number of complaints from children in school years five, six and seven is concerning and continues to grow."

Cyber bullying is becoming more sophisticated and deceitful, with children setting up imposter accounts to undermine the reputation of their bullying target, Mr Dagg said.

The reliance on devices throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has not helped the situation.

"Many parents are telling us they've found it hard to limit screen time since the pandemic," Mr Dagg said.

"While greater device use might be the new norm, with it comes the need to understand how children are living out this part of their lives."

He urged parents to establish boundaries around internet usage to ensure their young children are not exposed to harm.

"We encourage parents to show an interest in the games their children play online and the profiles they follow on social media - just as they would make time to throw a ball at a local park or play a board game," Mr Dagg said.

"Being plugged into what your child is doing can help you anticipate when they might need support and advice."

Parents should encourage their children to use devices in open areas of the home and have regular conversations about what they're seeing online.

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