National Framework review: Schools call for tougher cyberbullying laws as abuse moves online

Australian schools and education sector leaders have submitted formal responses to the federal government's review of the National Framework for Protecting Australia's Children, urging stronger legislative tools to address cyberbullying as harassment increasingly shifts to encrypted platforms and direct messaging. Submissions highlight that existing state-based measures are fragmented and that schools lack authority to intervene in off-campus digital abuse that affects student wellbeing and classroom safety. The review is considering harmonised cross-jurisdictional powers and clearer obligations for social media platforms.

Targeted pattern detection at the conversation level addresses cyberbullying in the direct-message environments where it now occurs, without requiring schools or platforms to decrypt or read private content. Guardii, a world-leading AI online-safety platform, detects escalation, sustained targeting and coercion in real time across Instagram, Snapchat, Discord, Roblox and other services, surfacing the shape and severity of abuse to a parent, school or professional rather than creating a readable transcript. This capability enables timely intervention in off-campus digital harassment that legislative frameworks now struggle to reach, while preserving the privacy of everyday student communication.