Campaign to make school children cyber smart
While the focus was on chldren being cyber smart, the question remains on how many adults can confidently say they know how to use the internet responsibly.
JOHANNESBURG SOUTH – Johannesburg schools have joined the world in the celebration of Safer Internet Day (SID) on February 11, as part of the launch of the Back to School Campaign.
The launch was hosted by the Film and Publications Board and Google South Africa in partnership with the Gauteng Department of Education and held at one of the high schools in Johannesburg. The Back to School campaign will be taken to schools around the country.
They were joined by organisations such as Child Line, Parents Corner, DoC, Media Monitoring and Mxit. Safer Internet Day aims to promote safer and more responsible use of online technologies, including mobile internet among young users.
Gauteng MEC for Education, Barbara Creecy addressed the crowd in an effort to build more awareness on responsible internet usage by learners using the tag line ‘Create a better internet together’ #SaferInternetDay #KnowWhatYoureExposedTo.
“It’s easy to feel anonymous online and it’s important that children are aware of who is able to view and potentially share the information they have posted,” warned the Film and Publication Board.
Teenagers are known to be amongst perpetrators of child pornography in most cases, without even being aware of the laws they are breaking and the consequences thereof.
Vice-President of the European Commission, Neelie Kroes said, “The internet is positive for children – not just for online education, but as a place to socialise, play and create. But whether they’re doing it for work or play, they must be able to do it safely, to forge positive relationships and cope with online risks.”
It has become the responsibility not only of parents and teachers to ensure that children know and understand the criminal risk that comes with recording and keeping videos or material that may be illegal, but also material intended for adults.
A FPB report on internet usage and the exposure of pornography to learners in South African schools states: “This child using the Internet for useful information can be drawn or coerced into viewing unsuitable and illegal materials by being directed to sites containing harmful materials, or through ‘pop-ups’ and ‘mouse trapping’, it is not inappropriate to regard the technology itself – its architecture, the way it works and the ‘anything goes’ mentality generally associated with the internet – as posing a risk of harm to children.”
