Click Check: Combatting Online Harms through Education with Digital Defence

Misinformation, ‘fake news’, AI-generated content, deepfakes, scams, phishing, echo chambers. In today’s digitised world, the ability to separate what’s real and helpful from what’s fabricated and harmful is more crucial than ever. Yet, no formal education programs exist in Australia that focus on equipping young people with critical thinking skills tailored to the digital environment. Digital Defence, a newly established organisation laser-focused on combatting online harms, is looking to change this.

Equipped with $50,000 of grant funding from Telematics Trust, Digital Defence has devised Click Check – a digital-first education initiative designed specifically for Victorian schools. Curriculum-aligned and classroom-ready, Click Check is an interactive toolkit that blends scenario-based learning with memorable calls-to-action. Through Click Check, students will be empowered to pause, question and think critically about what they encounter online, so that they can confidently navigate these spaces with confidence and resilience, now and into the future.

A Critical Campaign

In a world more and more flooded with information, Digital Defence has made misinformation education one of its core campaigns. For good reason too – the untruths bred within unregulated online spaces aren’t just an annoyance; they also have real-world consequences. Australia has recently seen an unprecedented rise in hate speech, harassment, and violence, all fuelled by misinformed online extremism. Key to countering this is reaching young people and teaching them to interrogate what they see online, and with Click Check, Digital Defence is embedding critical thinking and digital literacy into their existing school curriculum.

Instead of relying on traditional vehicles for educational initiatives – like one-dimensional PowerPoint presentations, posters and leaflets – Click Check is delivered in the way that is most recognisable to today’s students: an interactive online platform. It includes animated explainers, interactive videos, scenario-based digital simulations, downloadable lesson plans and self-directed student quizzes with instant feedback. Future enhancements on the horizon include gamified engagement badges and certificates, to maximise student enjoyment and engagement.

Questioning, Understanding, and Engaging

Having already run three pilot programs in Victorian schools to overwhelmingly positive reviews, the grant funding received from Telematics Trust will mean that Digital Defence will now have the capacity to expand Click Check statewide. Best of all, thanks to its inherently online nature, there’s no reason why all 180,000+ Year 10-12 students in Victoria aren’t reachable by this game-changing new tool.

There are few people more excited by this prospect than Digital Defence CEO Zara Cooper:

“The Telematics Trust grant is enabling Digital Defence to bring the Click Check Schools Program to life. This support is allowing us to develop comprehensive workshop content in partnership with a leading education program designer, empowering students with critical digital literacy skills for navigating today's online world. The grant means we can create educational resources that teach young people to pause and question information they see online, understand the lasting impact of their digital footprint on future opportunities, and engage respectfully in online spaces. The Click Check Schools Program is a 90-minute workshop that will help students think critically and make smarter choices online, developing critical digital literacy skills that will serve them throughout their lives. We're incredibly grateful for their belief in our mission for a safer and fairer online space for all Australians.”

Combatting Harms in Online Spaces

While the future is uncertain, what is almost guaranteed is that online spaces will continue to feature prominently in our lives. To make these spaces as safe as they can be, we need organisations like Digital Defence to advocate for stronger safety laws, digital platform accountability and education. Telematics Trust is proud to have played our part in supporting Click Check, and assisting Digital Defence with their mission to combat digital and online harms.

Digital Defence’s work goes far beyond what we’ve mentioned here. To find out more about their work across Platform Accountability, Legislative Reform & eSafety, Doxxing Reform and more, or to donate to their cause, we encourage you to visit their website.