Bankwest and The Kids Research Institute Australia have today announced a new partnership, bringing together two iconic Western Australian organisations to support parents in their cyber safety battle.
Bankwest’s three-year commitment shores up the research by The Kids Research Institute Australia into cyber safety and reinforces the financial institution’s 124-year commitment to the WA community.
The partnership will also involve Bankwest lending its extensive digital expertise to the development of an Australian-first app that will help parents keep their children cyber-safe.
The partnership was prompted by Bankwest research, which revealed high levels of concern among Australians for children’s online safety and confusion over where to seek help and advice.
The survey showed more than three quarters of respondents (78%) were concerned about children’s online safety, with the same number worried about online grooming or stalking.
Cyber bullying was also among the top concerns (77%), followed by the effects of screen time on children’s health (73%) and its negative effects on children’s social skills (70%).
Bankwest’s support for The Kids Research Institute Australia’s cyber safety research will be complemented by a WA-developed, nationally-available smart resource app, scheduled for release in mid-2020.
The app will integrate seamlessly into parents’ daily lives, delivering trusted information backed by research and behavioural science, as well as ideas, strategies and personalised support.
About Bankwest
Bankwest’s vision is to deliver amazing customer experiences that matter and our purpose is to improve the financial wellbeing of our customers and communities. Bankwest provides personal and business banking solutions for more than 1.1 million customers across Australia. Our customers enjoy access to an extensive network of branches and business centres, direct and third-party distribution channels, agencies and electronic banking facilities, as well as 24-hour banking on the telephone, internet and the Bankwest App. Bankwest is a division of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.