- Alexandra Whitwam - Senior Manager Campaigns and Digital Storytelling, Telstra Foundation
When UNICEF Australia identified online safety and digital well-being as key focus areas for the organisation, the team knew they wanted to approach it from a different angle — all conversations on the topic should be driven by youth voices.
“Young people’s voices are often missing from discussions about the online world,” Julia Donnelly, UNICEF Australia’s Campaign Manager for Domestic Programs and Advocacy, explains. “Our goal with the Generation Cyber project is to give them the platform they deserve to share their experiences and insights.”
Co-designing for real change
At the core of Generation Cyber is a commitment to co-design. UNICEF Australia recognises that if the digital landscape is going to improve for young people, they need to be involved in the process from the outset. This project reflects that belief, involving children and young people at key phases — from research to developing resources to designing public awareness campaigns.
“We worked closely with our Young Ambassadors, aged 17 to 22, to help shape the project’s first stage, which was a research survey that went out at the end of 2023,” Julia says. “Our Young Ambassadors were instrumental in identifying gaps in existing research and in helping us phrase questions that would resonate with their peers.”
This co-designed survey spoke to just over 1,000 young people aged between 15 and 17 and culminated in a position paper published in March 2024. “We learned so much from that first round of research, and now we want to go deeper,” Julia explains.
“We’re in the middle of co-designing our next survey with our new Young Ambassadors, which is set to gather fresh insights into the emerging risks and opportunities children face online. This wider study will also cover diverse topics, including young people’s thoughts on issues such as online privacy and deep fake content.”
Julia believes that the co-design approach makes a significant difference in ensuring the research’s relevance. “Young people know what the real issues are. By involving them, we’re not just guessing what matters—we’re directly responding to their concerns.”
Practical resources for today’s challenges
Alongside the research, UNICEF Australia is working to create tools and resources for parents, teachers, and young people to help navigate the online world more safely.
“We’ve taken this [part of the project] into schools, working with students aged 10 to 12 to co-design these resources,” Julia explains. “It’s an interactive process—we get their input at key stages, from ideation to prototype testing, ensuring the tools are engaging and relevant.”
Once developed, these resources will be distributed through schools and youth networks to ensure they reach the children and families that need them most.
Shifting the public narrative
Alongside amplifying young people’s voices, this project is also looking to create a more balanced narrative around young people being online.
“Parents often don’t realise the positive role the online world plays in their children’s lives,” Julia notes. “Social media, for example, isn’t just a source of risk—it’s a vital platform for connection and expression, particularly for LGBTQIA+ youth and neurodivergent children. We want to amplify those stories, too.”
The project will culminate in 2025 with a public awareness campaign aimed at young people to amplify their voices about the online world.
“We’ve involved our Young Ambassadors at all the key stages, in the development the brief to choosing the idea of the campaign, making sure the campaign will be something that connects with young people.’” Julia says.
By combining youth input, compelling research, and practical tools, UNICEF Australia’s Generation Cyber aims to reshape the digital world into a safer and more empowering space for young Australians. ”It’s not just about identifying the risks,” Julia says. “It’s about ensuring that young people are at the centre of designing the solutions.”
About Telstra Foundation and UNICEF Australia
The partnership between UNICEF Australia and the Telstra Foundation focuses on protecting children in the digital world. The collaboration aims to reshape the digital landscape, ensuring that children can navigate the online world safely and confidently.
