Alannah & Madeline Foundation

Meta's introduction of ‘teen accounts’ on its Instagram platform signals some positive intent to help make its platform safe by design for children and young people. The Alannah and Madeline Foundation is pleased that Meta is playing a more active role as for too long, responsibility for children's safety online was pushed back onto parents, schools and children themselves. We will continue to advocate for a collective approach that recognises the critical role government, tech companies, and community play in making our online world safe for children to enjoy. Follow us to make sure you see up to date information and advice about children's online safety and digital rights. https://lnkd.in/geTe3WXi

You did it! We ran out of space to colour in on the tracker – which means we’ve smashed our goal! We’re thrilled to share that our incredible supporters raised over $456,000 to provide Buddy Bags filled with essential care items to thousands of children escaping violence this year. Because of them, 8294 children will get a Buddy Bag when they enter emergency accommodation – providing them with the love and care they need to heal and recover. Thank you so much for donating to our third Alannah & Madeline Day – your support means everything to us and the children across Australia you are helping. Don’t forget, you can still donate to help provide Buddy Bags any day of the year to ensure children get that first critical step on their healing journey. Thank you so much for making Alannah & Madeline Day 2024 our best yet. https://lnkd.in/gYYWz8-u

Thank you so much to everyone who has generously given to Alannah & Madeline Day today! We’re absolutely thrilled to share that we’ve reached 80% of our $350,000 target, thanks to you, our incredible supporters. Thanks to your generosity and compassion, we’re so close to reaching our goal to provide Buddy Bags – filled with toiletries, clothes, toys and a cuddly teddy bear – to every child just like Ella* who will be removed from violence this year. But we’re not there…yet. More donations are urgently needed to reach today’s $350,000 goal – and help the 11,000 children escaping serious harm this year. Please donate now to help children in crisis – so they can feel safe, cared for and loved – perhaps for the first time in their lives: https://lnkd.in/gYYWz8-u

Today is Alannah & Madeline Day! And on this extraordinary day of generosity, every donation will be DOUBLED! 💜 Thanks to MYER Community Fund who are kindly matching donations up to $150,000, you have the chance to give DOUBLE the love, give DOUBLE the Buddy Bags – and help TWICE as many children heal, recover and thrive from trauma and violence. Every donation will bring us closer to the goal of raising $350,000, so we can provide Buddy Bag to every child in crisis who needs one. Donate now to have your donation DOUBLED by matching funds. And give double the Buddy Bags packed full of love and essentials – like new, clean pyjamas, clothes, toys, books and a teddy – to children in crisis. Donate now and you’ll help TWICE as many children who’ve experienced violence to feel loved and cared for. Sometimes for the first time in their lives. https://lnkd.in/gYYWz8-u #AlannahAndMadelineDay [Image description: a flat lay showing a pink backpack and its contents, including a teddy bear, toiletries, PJs, and trauma-informed toys.]

Our deepest and most heartfelt congratulations go to our Founding Patron, Walter, and his long-time partner, Bridgette, on their engagement. On Wednesday night, Walter proposed to Bridgette on-stage after Trent Dalton's Love Stories. In a recent interview with Woman’s Day, Walter described Bridgette as “his rock”, and said, “she’s taken on the past and honours that in the way it needs to be honoured”. Everyone at the Alannah & Madeline Foundation gives them a big, warm hug and a lifetime of well-wishes. Congratulations! 💜 [Image description: Walter and Bridgette are grinning. She's holding up her left hand, showing an engagement ring.]

The Alannah & Madeline Foundation strongly endorses the introduction of new legislation designed to strengthen privacy protections for all Australians, including children and young people. This comes at a time of increased public debate about children’s online safety and significant threats and online harms posed by pervasive and commercially driven business models. This announcement is a giant step forward. A well-designed, resourced and enforceable Children’s Online Privacy Code will have a massive impact on protecting children from intrusive practices and safeguard their experiences online. We call upon industry and the wider community to give their full support to the Code’s development and implementation. Together, we can create a digital world that is safe, respectful and empowering for all Australians – and especially children. #onlinesafety #privacy #childrenonline https://ow.ly/BlSu50TlA6V

Made a life-changing donation to help children escaping violence or want to share your support of Alannah & Madeline Day? You can celebrate your impact and encourage others to help a child in crisis by using our Alannah & Madeline Day GIF stickers for your Instagram Stories. Choose from fun GIF stickers to use on your Instagram Stories, and once you donate, get access to our range of Alannah & Madeline Day social media assets. How to use our GIF stickers for Instagram stories: 💜 Snap a photo on Instagram Stories. 💜 Click the square-shaped smiley face at the top of the screen. 💜 Type "Alannah & Madeline" in the search bar. 💜 Choose your favourite GIF. 💜 Share it with your followers to encourage them to give a life-changing gift. Learn about all the ways to get involved and support children in crisis: https://lnkd.in/gYYWz8-u #AlannahAndMadelineDay [Image description: Image 1 - Walter Mikac is smiling with shelves behind him. There is a backpack and its contents laid out on the table in front of him. There's a purple GIF that says, "Alannah & Madeline Day 17 September.". Image 2 - a women with short brown hair is smiling. There is a GIF of a purple back pack that says "I gave a Buddy Bag". Image 3 - a purple graphic that says "I'm helping children heal. You can too this #AlannahAndMadelineDay". Image 3 - a purple graphic that says, "I gave a Buddy Bag to a child escaping violence for Alannah & Madeline Day."]

Yesterday, the Australian Government announced it would introduce new legislation before the end of the year to enforce age limits for access to social media. We at the Alannah & Madeline Foundation acknowledge this move to make tech companies accountable for how children and young people use their platforms as a step in the right direction. However, keeping children safe online must go further than just age limits. We must address the underlying factors that make social media inherently unsafe for children and young people. This is why the Foundation is calling on both the Government and tech platforms to take immediate steps to address issues such as children’s privacy, recommender systems, and children’s data harvesting. Click the link for more details and watch this space for more from us on this subject in the coming days. https://ow.ly/5b3z50TjF3t

The Alannah & Madeline Foundation acknowledges the announcement by the South Australian Government of its proposed legislation that would require the social media giants to enforce age limits for children accessing their platforms. We believe that any regulations and legislation that hold tech companies accountable for keeping children safe on their platforms is a positive step. But we should remember that age limits alone won't make social media safer for children. We believe it is government’s responsibility to ensure children’s digital rights are upheld and realised. This can be achieved by setting minimum standards based on community expectations and holding tech companies to account when they fail to meet those standards. It is tech companies’ responsibility to prevent their services and products from being used in ways that violate children’s rights and which expose children to harms while using their platforms. It is up to the rest of us – parents, educators, civil society and community members – to take responsibility to upskill and educate ourselves and our children on how to navigate tech and the online world safely and confidently; to participate with them in their digital worlds, not just police them. Visit our website to get the full story: https://ow.ly/mBzo50Tiym4

The Alannah & Madeline Foundation backs the eSafety Commissioner’s recent request to the eight most popular social media and messaging platforms to release data on the number of Australian children using their platforms. This includes what protections they have in place to safeguard their youngest users from potential harms. Our CEO, Sarah Davies AM, said that children and young people continue to be at risk of online harms because the tech platforms they are using are not designed to keep them safe. “Part of the problem is that social media platforms operate on a commercial model that seeks to maximise the handling of individuals' personal data. These platforms are designed to grab and hold their users' attention and to encourage as much interaction as possible. In practice, this leads to platforms that put children at risk because they are low privacy, distracting and highly compelling, feeding users content that is potentially unsafe and making them vulnerable to unsolicited contact.” Get more details via the link: https://ow.ly/h7xq50Th00y