[gallery size="medium" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" td_gallery_title_input="Keeping the Internet safe for kids" ids="140207,140208,140209"] By Irfan Mohammed Saudi Gazette CYBER bullying, Internet threats and malicious online harassment are matters of concern for parents in the digitally-connected Kingdom and the Saudi authorities have been working to create awareness about possibly damaging effects of global connectivity on children. Saudi Arabia's Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) recently concluded a campaign with the theme "Safe Internet" in collaboration with the Ministry of Education to create awareness among children on the safe usage of the information highway and also on tips to protect themselves from social media hazards. The CITC, while emphasizing the enormous benefits of Internet use, said it was too easy to become an online victim. Jehad Alaskar, project manager for CITC's child online protection program, said, "Our campaign targeted schoolchildren, teachers and educators to impart awareness on dealing with cyber risks." He told Saudi Gazette that the campaign helped children understand and assess themselves the risk level. It also held orientation programs for teachers in schools in order to equip them to help their students in the safe use of the Internet. The campaign tried to identify the fine line between encouraging the children's passion for experiencing the wonders of the Internet and the role that parents must play as guardians of it content, Alaskar said. He said many children were simply unaware of the dangers lurking in cyberspace and the sophisticated attempts to steal their identity online or hack into their devices. During the campaign, which was held in three phases in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, workshops and visits were highly interactive with children taking part in the discussions and demonstrations with great enthusiasm, he said. "In the first phase, we reached children and their families in shopping malls and other public places. In the second phase, we held workshops where over 600 teachers participated. In the third phase, we visited more than 15 schools and met over 8,000 students," Alaskar explained. He said the CITC produced nine cartoon videos explaining the safe use of Internet and posted them one YouTube where more than a million people visited them. Alaskar expressed his dismay over some parents who were found to be underestimating the adverse impact of Internet on their children and leave them unsupervised in cyberspace for long hours. The CITC official urged parents to monitor their children's online presence and the contents they browse through as well as how much time they spend online. He said there are proposals to introduce and enhance the mechanism for parental supervision on children's use of the Internet. The Safe Internet campaign has sought to build a better future by establishing the foundations of a knowledge-based society and by creating an environment where children can thrive, he said. "The physical, intellectual and psychological protection of children is not only the responsibility of parents, but also the duty of all educational, cultural and social organizations in the Kingdom. By ensuring and nurturing a safe environment for our children today, we will reap the rewards through enhanced knowledge and progress tomorrow," said Alaskar. The CITC said earlier this week that it controlled 900,000 Internet links in 2016 and blocked 68 percent of them. It said 92 percent of the blocked links had porn content, while 1,300 links were harmful to children.
