Kiwi stars of YouTube, Instagram front new online safety campaign

Kiwi teens invited to campaign for a safer web

Two of New Zealand’s brightest social media stars are backing a programme to help teenagers create their own campaigns to encourage better online behavior.

Caito Potatoe who has nearly 30,000 YouTube subscribers, and Liam WaveRider who has more than 2 million Instagram followers, have both thrown their support behind Web Rangers, a NetSafe, Sticks 'n Stones, and Google initiative that challenges teens to create their own nationwide campaign encouraging better internet behaviour, leading to a safer online environment.

Liam says that his own experience with cyber-bullying has made him particularly passionate about promoting online safety for teens.

“We can all say we don’t care what people say about us, but deep down we all do.  Cyber-bullying is serious, and you see the effect it has on people - it’s not okay,” Liam says. 

The programme invites teenagers to create a campaign that will help their peers think about online behaviour and keep each other safe online.  It is open to all New Zealanders aged 14-17.

Teens will kick off the development of their campaigns at special Web Rangers workshops. Three workshops will be held around New Zealand, so more than 300 teenagers will be able to participate in person.  Caito Potatoe and Liam WaveRider will attend the workshops, which will be led by Billy T. winner Rhys Mathewson. The workshops will also involve training from experts in marketing, social media and online safety.

The Web Rangers will be given six weeks to produce their campaigns, which can take any form including YouTube videos or other social media content; billboards; and in-school events. MPs from across most parties, as well as last year’s Web Rangers winner Angus Slade, will judge the entrants. The creators of the top internet safety campaigns from each city will then fly to Sydney to present their campaign to Google executives.

NetSafe Chief Technology Officer Sean Lyons says challenges are a normal part of online activity, but young people sometimes need help to successfully manage them.

“The best place for teenagers to get support and understand how to be safer online is from their peers.

“That’s what Web Rangers is about. It’s young people creating content that young people understand. Campaigns like this help foster a better online environment for some of our most vulnerable digital citizens” says Mr Lyons.

Google spokesperson Ross Young says the Web Rangers programme is about getting teenagers to think creatively about how to stamp out bad online behaviour.

“Making sure all young people know how to help themselves and their friends is a vital part of building a safer online environment for everyone. We’ve found the best way to make that happen is to put the power in young peoples’ hands, because no one can craft a message to a teenager like another teenager.”

Last year’s Web Rangers set the bar very high with social experiments on Auckland’s Queen Street, animated videos set to song, and an online compliment generator taking out the top prizes. Auckland’s winning video by Hayley Smith was viewed over 120,000 times on Youtube.

Fourteen to seventeen year­ olds interested in taking part can register their interest at www.netsafe.org.nz/webrangers.