Last updated: May 28, 2015



Cyber Security Awareness Week amabassador Leonie Smith says parents fail to see cyber dangers

Leonie Smith

Cyber Safety Week ambassador Leonie Smith at home with her sons. Picture: Jeremy Piper Source: The Daily Telegraph

LEONIE Smith is uneasy talking to parents about cyber safety.

Sometimes it's like talking to a wall; like what she says has no impact on their lives; like they've got their heads in the sand.

She wants to shake them.

"I'm shocked by the lack of awareness that parents have in regards to cyber security," she said. "Unfortunately with Facebook, a lot of people have a false sense of security and they aren't aware of how others use the internet, so they are basically putting their entire lives up there, and their kids' lives, without realising what could happen to them."

Dubbed "The Cyber Safety Lady", this Warriewood mum has dedicated her life to raising awareness of the importance of both children and parents understanding the security risks of the ever-expanding global online community.

Topping her hit list is bullying, a topic she understands after her 14-year-old was relentlessly cyber-stalked by a cunning 12-year-old from the US.

As the ambassador for national Cyber Security Awareness Week, beginning today, Ms Smith said parents needed to educate themselves on the risks and their parameters, realise their children could be targeted, and prepare themselves and their kids to respond adequately.

"This needs to be in parents' faces a lot more," she said. "We need a national campaign."