24 September 2025

E2P | The Digital Sexual Landscape, Children & Young People in Aotearoa NZ

Event by The Centre for Family Violence and Sexual Violence Prevention

Join us for the next Evidence to Practice Session which will discuss how the digital world is shaping the sexual lives of young people in Aotearoa. Following a report commissioned by ACC, this seminar reveals the findings on harmful content, grooming, and sextortion, and shows how online material is reshaping attitudes, behaviours, and wellbeing. With international insights and practical recommendations, we’ll explore why urgent, coordinated action is needed to keep children safe in the digital age - and how current inaction leaves New Zealand falling short of its obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Jo Robertson is a sex therapist with a Master of Science in Medicine, specialising in sexuality, relationships, and the cultural influences shaping sexual norms. Her dissertation focused on online sexual content and its impacts on adolescents. She has over 15 years’ experience in health, education, and counselling. Jo has worked as a child and youth trauma counsellor and has provided training to professionals, parents, and young people on navigating online sexual experiences. She has delivered a TEDx talk, speaks internationally on intimacy, parenting, and sexual culture, and most recently developed Tricky Chats; an evidence-based parenting course for guiding young peoples sexual health, safety and device use.

Holly Jean Brooker is a child online safety advocate, experienced educator, communicator, and PR & media specialist. Holly works with government, industry, and community groups to push for systemic change in online safety regulation and greater accountability from technology platforms. With a background in high school teaching, over 15 years in comms, PR, and parenting education, Holly has developed and delivered educational resources, workshops, and media campaigns to parents, educators, and policymakers. She believes education is most powerful when paired with effective public policy. Currently completing a Master of Public Policy at the University of Auckland, Holly also holds a BA.

Rory Birkbeck is Co-Founder and CEO of the New Zealand company Safe Surfer. He is a tech innovator and father of two who has dedicated nearly a decade to developing cutting-edge solutions for child safety online with his team. Safe Surfer under Rory's leadership is used in 120+ countries around the world by hundreds of thousands of families. Rory developed a global first partnership with Samsung in 2024 to create a Kid-Safe Smartphone. A phone that comes out of the box comes with calls, texts and only a few other basic apps. No app store or web browser. It connects to the Safe Surfer dashboard where different restriction profiles can be applied. He published a kids book called Keeping Safe on the Web with Kyle the Kingfish in 2018 aimed at primary school students.
Evidence to Practice Sessions are a series of conversations that bridge the gap between research and practical application. Each session features a concise 15-minute presentation on the latest research, followed by a 30-minute discussion on the practical implications of the work, with an expert from our Centre

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