- Sarah Ebbelaar - Regional Engagement Manager, Tasmania (Telstra Regional Australia)
I love those moments when work aligns with values that hit close to home—especially when it’s about supporting the well-being of our kids.
As a parent of three girls under 14, online safety and helping them learn how to support their friends in digital spaces has become, in my view, one of the biggest parenting challenges of the past decade.
Last week, I had the absolute pleasure of representing the Telstra Foundation, who are funding the incredible team at PROJECT ROCKIT to deliver cyberbullying workshops across regional Australia to around 30,000 students.
I joined their awesome facilitators, Laurence and Rikki, at Ravenswood Heights Primary and Queechy High in Tassie—and wow, it was inspiring to see them in action. They’re giving students real, practical tools to navigate the online world with confidence, kindness, and a whole lot of heart.
It was also a powerful reminder that regional young people often lag behind their urban peers when it comes to digital literacy and access to support. Programs like this are helping to close that gap—and the impact is real.
Practical tips for staying safe
Here are a few takeaways that made it into our dinner table chat 😊:
- 🌟 Meet someone five times in person before accepting them as a friend online
- 🔒 Keep your account private
- 💬 Say something kind in a thread where bullying is happening
- 🧠 Train your algorithm—click on content that reflects your interests and values
- 📸 Always ask for consent before posting photos of others
- 🚫 If cyberbullying happens: don’t retaliate. Block, report, and support the person being targeted. Don’t share harmful content.
A huge thanks to the Telstra Foundation for making this possible. Telstra continues to do incredible things in our communities, and I’m proud to be part of it.
