The Government has today launched a Cyber Safety Help Button that can help Australian children and families to stay safe online.

The help button is a free application that is easily downloaded onto any computer. It provides help and advice on a range of online risks including cyberbullying, unwanted contact, scams and fraud, and offensive or inappropriate material.

All a user needs to do is to download it from the Cybersafety help button download page and install it on a computer desktop. “Click it twice if you ever need help or advice about something unsafe or upsetting that you have encountered on the internet,” said the website.

Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Conroy said, “The internet offers our young people many exciting opportunities but there are also some dangers and the Help Button will provide valuable information for students, teachers and parents.”

“The Button offers a direct link to Kids Helpline, so if children are worried by cyberbullying or any other upsetting issue, they can phone or chat online to a professional counsellor. Young people can also report cyber safety issues directly to participating social networking and online game websites such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and Moshi Monsters,” continued Conroy.

Senator Conroy also said that future enhancements were planned for the Help Button such as making it suitable for mobile platforms, network downloading and additional resources for users to access.