Hundreds of young children are being seriously bullied online, with complaints to the eSafety Commissioner more than tripling 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.
