Getting your first phone is a big moment – this illustrated guide empowers young people aged 9–13 to navigate the online world with awareness, responsibility and confidence.
Behind the Screens
About the book
By Dr Niraj Lal and Aśka
Where can I get it?
Also available through most other good bookstores.
Soon to be available in North America and Europe.
What people are saying
Overview
The internet is one of the most life-changing inventions in history. But there are things happening behind the screens that are changing how we behave: influencing what we buy, what we’re interested in and how long we stay online. As we start using the internet and AI to do everything, it’s helpful to explore how the tech is using us a little too.
Written by award-winning scientist Dr Niraj (Nij) Lal, host of the ABC’s kids’ podcast Imagine This, and illustrated by comic artist Aśka, Behind the Screens is the must-have guide to help young people be online in the best way possible.
This book explores:
data collection and digital surveillance
the power of algorithms
a future with artificial intelligence
how to be happy and safe online
It answers questions like:
If YouTube, Instagram and TikTok are all free, how come their owners are some of the richest people on the planet?
Why is it so hard to stop scrolling?
How do I know who to trust on the internet?
How can I avoid being tracked by tech companies?
Bios
Dr Niraj Lal
Dr Niraj (‘nir-ridge’ or “Nij” for short) Lal is an ANU Visiting Fellow and host of the ABC’s Imagine This kids’ podcast, and he’s passionate about making science work in society’s interests. He has a PhD in physics from the University of Cambridge, has appeared on Play School and Catalyst, and his awards include the 2021 Celestino Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding of Science and the 2022 Royal Societies of Australia and New Zealand Piasecki Prize for Outstanding Writing on Social Change. He lives in Melbourne with his partner Sally and their three kids. nirajlal.org
Aśka
Aśka (pronounced Ash-ka), is creative dynamite, an award-winning graphic novelist, an ex-quantum physicist, and a hugely engaging and popular presenter. Having published more than a dozen books and comics Aśka is passionate about visual literacy and teaching people how to ‘write with pictures’. Watch out for her latest release, a YA graphic novel titled The Friendship Paradox (Allen & Unwin) – a mix of a physics road trip and a story about figuring out how to make friends. Fun fact: despite being a fan of technology, to this day Aśka has never owned a smart phone. She thinks everyone should read this book!
Why I wrote this book
The internet isn’t always what it seems – there are things happening behind the screen that are trying to change how we behave – what we buy, what we believe, or just how long we’re online. And they’re actually really effective – they are changing us! The average Australian spends more than 2 hrs on their phone each day – averaging more than 2000 individual touches. We’re hooked! We’re also more lonely than ever (more than 2 in 5 young Australians feel lonely), more polarised (global political polarisation is at record levels) and more surveilled too (nearly everything we watch, say, buy or see is tracked).
The internet has had a role in this, and I wrote a book to tell 9-13 yos about it. Illustrated by the brilliant comic artist Aśka, and published by UQP in February 2026 – Behind The Screens explores how the internet works and beyond – what kids need to know about surveillance capitalism, the attention economy, phone addiction, polarisation, d/misinformation and a bunch more. The internet obviously isn’t all bad – far from it – it’s one of the most liberating, life-changing inventions in human history. It has an unprecedented power for education and communication and change – and AI will be these things too similarly in part. The book’s aim is never to be too finger-wagging or apocalyptic or dull. But I wrote it for young people to read before they get a phone because I figured: if we can give them some knowledge about how things work, just as they’re starting out independently on the net and before they’re too siloed and addicted and rabbitholed and echochambered, then they’ll be empowered to better engage in the world and make better decisions about tech than the generation before them.
Family technology agreements
A family technology agreement sets clear, shared expectations about screen time, online safety and device use — and there are free templates available to download and adapt for your own household.
Teachers resources
Prepared for UQP by Christina Wheeler, is a practising teacher librarian with a background in the Australian curriculum.
Offtober
References and further reading
Chapter 1 – how the internet works
Awati R, Chai W, and Ferguson K (3 February 2025) ‘What is HTTP and how does it work? Hypertext Transfer Protocol’, Tech Target, accessed 3 February 2026, techtarget.com/whatis/definition/HTTP-Hypertext-Transfer-Protocol.
AWS (Amazon Web Services) (2013) How internet traffic is routed to your website or web application, AWS website, accessed 3 February 2026, docs.aws.amazon.com/Route53/latest/DeveloperGuide/welcome-dns-service.html.
Cerf GC, et al. (1997) A Brief History of the Internet, Internet Society website, accessed 3 February 2026, internetsociety.org/internet/history-internet/brief-history-internet.
Kaspersky (2025) What is an IP Address – Definition and Explanation, Kaspersky website, accessed 3 February 2026, kaspersky.com/resource-center/definitions/what-is-an-ip-address.
Craig W (2023) The History of the Internet in a Nutshell (Timeline), Web FX website, accessed 3 February 2026, webfx.com/blog/web-design/the-history-of-the-internet-in-a-nutshell.
Science and Media Museum (2020) A short history of the internet, Science and Media Museum website, accessed 3 February 2026, scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/short-history-internet.
Chapter 2 – FREEdom!
US Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law. 2021. Algorithms and Amplification: How Social Media Platforms’ Design Choices Shape Our Discourse and Our Minds. Hearing, 23 April. Washington: US Senate Committee on the Judiciary.
US Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law. 2021. Algorithms and Amplification: How Social Media Platforms’ Design Choices Shape Our Discourse and Our Minds. Hearing, 23 April. (Testimony of Tristan Harris) Washington: US Senate Committee on the Judiciary. judiciary.senate.gov/download/tristan-harris-testimony.
McCormick K (7 April 2025) ‘How Much Does Google Ads Cost in 2024’, WordStream, accessed 3 February 2026, wordstream.com/blog/ws/2015/05/21/how-much-does-adwords-cost.
Gibbons M (14 March 2025) ’50 Google Ads Statistics to Know in 2025 and Beyond’, Web FX, accessed 3 February 2026, webfx.com/blog/marketing/google-ads-statistics.
Zuboff S (2019) The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, Profile Books, United Kingdom.
Chapter 3 – where’s my phone?!
Carr N (2011) The Shallows, WW Norton, Australia.
Caveney S, Cladman W, Donly C, and Verellen L (2006) ‘Ancestry of neuronal monoamine transporters in the Metazoa’, The Journal of Experimental Biology, 209(24): 4858-4868, accessed 3 February 2026, doi.org/10.1242/jeb.02607.
Csikszentmihalyi M, and Nakamura J (2014) ‘The Concept of Flow’, in Snyder CR, and Lopez SJ (eds) Flow and the Foundations of Positive Psychology: The Collected Works of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Springer Dordrecht, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9088-8_16.
Dastan NB, Durar E, and Kaya F (2021) ‘Smart phone usage, sleep quality and depression in university students’, International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 67(5):407-414, accessed 3 February 2026, journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0020764020960207.
Hari J (2022) Stolen Focus, Bloomsbury Publishing, United Kingdom.
Harvard Health Publishing: Harvard Medical School (2024) Blue light had a dark side, Harvard Health Publishing website, accessed 3 February 2026, health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/blue-light-has-a-dark-side.
Lembke A (2021) Dopamine Nation, Dutton Books, Canada.
Wheelwright T (2025) Cell Phone Usage Stats 2025, Reviews.org Website, accessed 3 February 2026, reviews.org/mobile/cell-phone-addiction.
Chapter 4 – social and unsocial media
ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) (2023) National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing, ABS website, accessed 3 February 2026, abs.gov.au/statistics/health/mental-health/national-study-mental-health-and-wellbeing/latest-release.
Australian Government eSafety Commissioner (2023) Pressures from social media, Australian Government eSafety Commissioner website, accessed 3 February 2026, esafety.gov.au/young-people/pressures-from-social-media.
Australian Government Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (n.d.) Reboot your privacy and protect your personal information online, Australian Government Office of the Australian Information Commissioner website, accessed 3 February 2026, oaic.gov.au/privacy/your-privacy-rights/social-media-and-online-privacy/reboot-your-privacy.
Butterfly Foundation (2019) Body image concerns need national response for young Australians, Butterfly Foundation website, accessed 3 February 2026, butterfly.org.au/news/body-image-concerns-need-national-response-for-young-australians.
Choi CJ, and Berger R (2008) ‘Ethics of Global Internet, Community and Fame Addiction’, Journal of Business Ethics, 85: 193-200, accessed 3 February 2026, link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10551-008-9764-6.
CPCA (Cosmetic Physicians College of Australia) (2016) Australia’s spend on cosmetic treatments top $1 billion, CPCA website, accessed 3 February 2026, cpca.net.au/australias-spend-on-cosmetic-treatments-tops-1-billion-2.
Demiralp E, et al. (2008) ‘Facebook Use Predicts Declines in Subjective Well-Being in Young Adults’, Plos One, 8(8): e69841, doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0069841.
Douglas K (19 September 2022) Young people are feeling lonely and isolated, but these simple strategies can help, ABC website, accessed 3 February 2026, https://www.abc.net.au/education/strategies-to-help-young-people-feeling-loneliness-and-isolation/14058632.
Dzhanova Y (3 August 2019) Forget law school, these kids want to be a YouTube star, CNCB website, accessed 3 February 2026, cnbc.com/2019/08/02/forget-law-school-these-kids-want-to-be-a-youtube-star.html.
Headspace (2021) Over half of young Australians are lonely says new research, Headspace website, accessed 3 February 2026, headspace.org.au/our-organisation/media-releases/over-half-of-young-australians-are-lonely-says-new-research.
Health Direct (2023) Body dysmorphic disorder, Health Direct website, accessed 3 February 2026, healthdirect.gov.au/body-dysmorphic-disorder.
Horwitz J, Seetharaman D, and Wells G (14 September 2021) Facebook knows Instagram is toxic for teen girls, company documents show, The Wall Street Journal website, accessed 3 February 2026, wsj.com/articles/facebook-knows-instagram-is-toxic-for-teen-girls-company-documents-show-11631620739.
Influencer Marketing Hub (2024) How Much do YouTubers Make? + YouTube Earning Calculator, Influencer Marketing Hub website, accessed 3 February 2026, influencermarketinghub.com/how-much-do-youtubers-make.
Mineo L (11 April 2017) Harvard study, almost 80 years old, has proved that embracing community helps us live longer, and be happier, The Harvard Gazette website, accessed 3 February 2026, news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2017/04/over-nearly-80-years-harvard-study-has-been-showing-how-to-live-a-healthy-and-happy-life.
Swinburne (Swinburne University of Technology) (n.d.) Body Dysmorphic Disorder, Swinburne website, accessed 3 February 2026, swinburne.edu.au/research/centres-groups-clinics/centre-for-mental-health/our-research/body-dysmorphic-disorder.
Uhls YT, and Greenfield PM (2012) ‘The value of fame: Preadolescent perceptions of popular media and their relationship to future aspirations’, APA PsycNet, 48(2): 315-326, accessed 3 February 2026, doi.org/10.1037/a0026369.
We Are Social (2022) Digital 2022 Australia: Online Like Never Before, We Are Social, accessed on 3 February 2026, wearesocial.com/au/blog/2022/02/digital-2022-australia-online-like-never-before.
Chapter 5 – game on or game over
Loton D, and Lubman DI (2016) ‘Just one more level: Identifying and addressing internet gaming disorder within primary care’, Australia Family Physician, 45(1): 48-52, accessed 3 February 2026, racgp.org.au/afp/2016/january-february/just-one-more-level-identifying-and-addressing-int.
Australian Government eSafety Commissioner (2024) Online gaming, Australian Government eSafety Commissioner website, accessed 3 February 2026, esafety.gov.au/young-people/online-gaming.
Smith D (1 April 2014) This is what Candy Crush saga does to your brain, The Guardian website, accessed 3 February 2026, theguardian.com/science/blog/2014/apr/01/candy-crush-saga-app-brain.
Channel News, https://www.channelnews.com.au/video-games-more-popular-than-free-to-air-tv-in-australia/ accessed 3 February 2026
Chapter 6 – (e)Safety first
Apple (2025) Use parental controls on your child’s iPhone or iPad, Apple website, accessed 3 February 2026, support.apple.com/en-au/HT201304.
Australian Government eSafety Commissioner (2025) Australian Government, accessed 3 February 2026, esafety.gov.au.
Google Families (2025) Keep your family connected with a family group, Google Families website, accessed 3 February 2026, families.google/families.
Meta (2025) Family Centre, Meta website, accessed 3 February 2026, https://familycenter.meta.com/au/
Third A, et al. (2017) ‘Young and Online: Children’s Perspectives on Life in the Digital Age (The State of the World’s Children 2017 Companion Report)’, Western Sydney University, https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/ics/research/publications/shared-media/young-and-online-report.pdf
Chapter 7 – being healthy with tech
Jocelyn Brewer, Digital Nutrition, https://jocelynbrewer.com/digital-nutrition/ Accessed 3 February 2026
Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, 2008, Penguin, Australia
World Happiness Report, https://www.worldhappiness.report/ Accessed 3 February 2026
Australian Government eSafety Commissioner (2025) Australian Government, accessed 3 February 2026, https://www.esafety.gov.au/young-people/balancing-your-time-online
Australian Government eSafety Commissioner (2025) Australian Government, accessed 3 February 2026 https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/resources/family-tech-agreement
Daniel Morcombe Foundation, Family Technology Agreement, https://danielmorcombe.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2021_SafeBedrooms_Family-Technology-Agreement_EDITABLE.pdf, accessed 3 February 2026
Chapter 8 – what to believe
Alegre S (2022) Freedom to Think: Protecting a Fundamental Human Right in the Digital Age, Atlantic Books, United Kingdom.
Allcott H, and Gentzkow M (2017) ‘Social Media and Fake News in the 2016 Election’, Journal of Economic Perspectives, 31(2):211-236, dx.doi.org/10.1257/jep.31.2.211.
APA (American Psychological Association) (n.d.) Misinformation and disinformation, APA website, accessed 3 February 2026, apa.org/topics/journalism-facts/misinformation-disinformation.
Aral S, Roy D, and Vosoughi S (2018) ‘The spread of true and false news online’, Science, 359(6380): 1146-1151, accessed 3 February 2026, science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aap9559.
Banks A (22 March 2022) ‘89% of Australians are worried about the spread of fake news’ Mumbrella, accessed 3 February 2026, mumbrella.com.au/89-of-australians-are-worried-about-the-spread-of-fake-news-729756.
Black T, et al. (2021) ‘Mechanisms and Attributes of Echo Chambers in Social Media’, accessed 3 February 2026, arxiv.org/abs/2106.05401.
Brennen JS (18 April 2019) ‘Misinformation: The evidence on its scope, how we encounter it, and our perceptions of it’, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, accessed 3 February 2026, reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/misinformation-evidence-its-scope-how-we-encounter-it-and-our-perceptions-it.
Coscarelli J (1 February 2017) ‘Bacon Shortage? Calm Down. It’s Fake News.’, The New York Times, accessed 3 February 2026, nytimes.com/2017/02/01/business/bacon-shortage.html.
Hern A (10 January 2019) Older people more likely to share fake news on Facebook, study finds, The Guardian website, accessed 3 February 2026, theguardian.com/technology/2019/jan/10/older-people-more-likely-to-share-fake-news-on-facebook.
Australian Parliament Communications Legislation Amendment 2024, accessed 3 February 2026 https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Environment_and_Communications/MisandDisinfobill
Klein E (2020) Why We’re Polarized, Profile Books, United Kingdom.
La Trobe University (2021) Fighting fake news in the COVID-19 era’, La Trobe University website, accessed 3 February 2026, latrobe.edu.au/news/articles/2021/release/fighting-fake-news-in-the-covid-19-era.
Langin K (8 March 2018) Fake news spreads faster than true news on Twitter—thanks to people, not bots, Science website, accessed 3 February 2026, science.org/content/article/fake-news-spreads-faster-true-news-twitter-thanks-people-not-bots.
Morozov E (2013) To Save Everything, Click Here, Hachette, New York.
Nyilasy G (10 April 2020) ‘Fake news in the age of COVID-19’, Pursuit, accessed 3 February 2026, pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/fake-news-in-the-age-of-covid-19.
O’Neil C (2016) Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy, Crown Publishing Group, United States.
Pennycook G, and Rand DG (2021) ‘The Psychology of Fake News’, Trends in Cognitive Science, 25(5):388-402, doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2021.02.007.
Chapter 9 – artificial intelligence and you
O’Neil C (2016) Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy, Crown Publishing Group, United States.
OpenAI (2025) OpenAI, accessed 3 February 2026, openai.com.
Rao M (15 December 2020) ‘AI will do the ‘dirty, dull, difficult and dangerous’ work and give us more time to be human – AI expert Toby Walsh’, Your Story, accessed 3 February 2026, yourstory.com/2020/12/ai-toby-walsh.
Satter R (16 July 2020) ‘Deepfake used to attack activist couple shows new disinformation frontier’, Reuters, accessed 3 February 2026, reuters.com/article/us-cyber-deepfake-activist-idUSKCN24G15E.
Walsh T (2022) Machines Behaving Badly: The Morality of AI, La Trobe University Press, Australia.
Wolfram S (14 February 2023) ‘What Is ChatGPT Doing… and Why Does It Work?’, Stephen Wolfram Writings, accessed 3 February 2026, writings.stephenwolfram.com/2023/02/what-is-chatgpt-doing-and-why-does-it-work.
Chapter 10 – who’s watching?
Citron DK (2022) The Fight for Privacy, Chatto and Windus, United Kingdom.
Griffith E (7 July 2021) ‘How to Manage Your Google Privacy Settings’, PCMag Australia, accessed 3 February 2026, au.pcmag.com/security/52630/how-to-manage-your-google-privacy-settings.
Kaspersky (2025) What is an IP Address – Definition and Explanation, Kaspersky website, accessed 3 February 2026, kaspersky.com/resource-center/definitions/what-is-an-ip-address.
Lee M (12 November 2015) ‘Edward Snowden Explains How To Reclaim Your Privacy’, The Intercept, accessed 3 February 2026, theintercept.com/2015/11/12/edward-snowden-explains-how-to-reclaim-your-privacy/.
Milmo D (24 October 2021) ‘Frances Haugen: ‘I never wanted to be a whistleblower. But lives were in danger’’, The Guardian, accessed 3 February 2026, theguardian.com/technology/2021/oct/24/frances-haugen-i-never-wanted-to-be-a-whistleblower-but-lives-were-in-danger.
News Dek (The Guardian) (1 November 2013) ‘NSA Prism program slides’, The Guardian, accessed 3 February 2026, theguardian.com/world/interactive/2013/nov/01/prism-slides-nsa-document.
Schneier B (16 March 2013) ‘The Internet is a surveillance state’, CNN, accessed 3 February 2026, edition.cnn.com/2013/03/16/opinion/schneier-internet-surveillance/index.html.
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Veliz C (2021) Privacy is Power: Why and How You Should Take Back Control of Your Data, Penguin, Australia
Wise D (26 November 2019) ‘Edward Snowden on the Dangers of Mass Surveillance and Artificial General Intelligence’, Variety, accessed 3 February 2026, variety.com/2019/digital/festivals/idfa-edward-snowden-1203416674.
Abdo A, and Toomey P (11 August 2013) ‘The NSA is turning the internet into a total surveillance system’, The Guardian, accessed 3 February 2026, theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/11/nsa-internet-surveillance-email.
Devglan (2024) AES Encryption and Decryption Online, Devglan website, accessed 3 February 2026, devglan.com/online-tools/aes-encryption-decryption.
Devglan (2024) RSA Encryption and Decryption Online, Devglan website, accessed 3 February 2026, devglan.com/online-tools/rsa-encryption-decryption.
Frances Haugen (2021) Frances Haugen website, accessed 3 February 2026, franceshaugen.com.
EFF (2025) EFF, accessed 3 February 2026, www.eff.org.
Chapter 11 – the future internet
AANA (2023) Children’s Advertising Code, Aana website, accessed 3 February 2026, aana.com.au/self-regulation/codes-guidelines/aana-code-for-advertising-marketing-communications-to-children.
eSafety Commissioner (2025) eSafety Youth Council, Australian Government eSafety Commissioner website, accessed 3 February 2026, esafety.gov.au/young-people/online-safety-youth-advisory-council.
Finley K (5 May 2020) ‘The WIRED Guide to Net Neutrality’, WIRED, accessed 3 February 2026, wired.com/story/guide-net-neutrality.
Moody L, and Third A (2021) Our Rights in the Digital World: A Report on the Children’s Consultations to inform UNCRC General Comment 25, Westen Sydney University, accessed 3 February 2026, westernsydney.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/1845497/Our_Rights_in_a_Digital_World_-_Full_Report.pdf.
Staff V (27 September 2018) ‘Google turns 20: how an internet search engine reshaped the world’, The Verge, accessed 3 February 2026, theverge.com/2018/9/5/17823490/google-20th-birthday-anniversary-history-milestones.