Coronavirus: Online harm increased during lockdown before levelling off

Tuesday, 28 April 2020

International reports suggested New Zealand could expect increased online harm during lockdown, but Netsafe data shows only a slight increase in reports.

Netsafe saw more than double its usual traffic during the lockdown, however the number of online harm reports, from revenge porn to child abuse, didn't increase as much as expected.

Unicef has said millions of children were at increased risk of harm as their lives moved online during the coronavirus pandemic.

Netsafe chief executive Martin Cocker says lockdown saw an initial spike in online harm reports, which levelled off during the final week.

The lockdown period started with below average reporting, with increases in all reports including harmful digital communications reports in weeks three and four, Netsafe chief executive Martin Cocker said. The numbers levelled off again during week five.

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Overall, harmful digital communications reporting (a better direct measure of harm, Cocker said) saw a 6 per cent increase during Covid-19 alert level 4, which was in place from March 25 to April 27.

'Harm online isn't down, but it isn't hugely up, either. It has pretty much carried on at its pre-Covid rate.'

Scam reports, however, saw a sharp increase.

In particular, sextortian scams, where scammers pretend to have intimate recordings in order to blackmail recipients, were on the rise, Cocker said.

However fewer people than normal were falling for them and suffering financial loss.

'Internationally, people are saying their numbers are definitely up. there have been a lot of proactive safety campaigns in New Zealand, so I think maybe they've had a positive effect here,' he said.

'Obviously behind each number is a person who has had a bad experience, or been harmed, so for them it's no consolation. However, for the community overall it's a good news story.'

The Office of Film and Literature Classification said it launched a campaign to help parents keep their children safe during periods of increased screen time.

It encouraged parents to engage with what their children were watching, reading or playing online, and to be aware of age ratings and classifications.