MANY parents in Singapore and across the globe have little idea of what their children are up to online, a worldwide survey has found.
They do not know whether their children have been a target of cyber-bullying, Internet paedophiles and online fraudsters, or have been exposed to pornography - or how their children are coping with these if they have become victims.
Ask parents and 92 per cent of them will say they have set ground rules for using the Internet. Ask the young ones, on the other hand, and only 66 per cent say these rules exist, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has found.
The ITU, the technology arm of the United Nations, revealed this and other findings in conjunction with World Telecommunications and Information Society Day last Sunday.
The day was marked in Singapore yesterday by about 80 industry professionals at a gathering organised by the Association of Telecommunications Industry of Singapore (Atis).
Other findings by the ITU include:
One in three teenage girls who go online has been harassed in chatrooms, but only 7 per cent of them tell their parents because they do not want to lose their Internet access.
One in five children is being targeted by a sexual predator or paedophile each year.
Three-quarters of children are willing to share information about themselves and their families online in exchange for goods and services, such as contest prizes or downloads, opening themselves to cybercriminals who use the information to steal money or their identities.
The numbers from the survey are not specific to Singapore, which has one of the highest Internet and mobile penetration rates in the world, but these issues are likely to be encountered in the country as well, some industry players say.
Atis has urged parents to play a larger role in teaching their children to stay safe while online.
Its president, Mr John Shaznell, said some parents were 'thinking like dinosaurs' in their detachment from the Internet and needed to be educated.
'We parents have put so much faith and trust in schools, but we don't know what our own kids are doing,' he said.
Senior social worker Vivienne Ng said some parents contributed to the problem by treating the computer as a babysitter.
'They believe that it's better their child is at home and online rather than outside mixing with bad company. But online, you're exposed to anything and everything and everyone,' said the staff member of Hougang Sheng Hong Family Service Centre.
She said she had come across seven-year-olds visiting porn sites. The words 'sex' and 'porn' are easy to spell, she said, and a search engine like Google is all a child needs to enter that world. Some even swop stories about their online findings with their friends at school, she added.
Ms Ng is starting a support group for parents whose children are glued to their computers.
Mr Eugene Seow, who chairs the National Internet and New Media Advisory Committee, said what many people did not realise was that content seen online could affect a child's values and behaviour.
The executive director of Touch Community Services, a promoter of cyberwellness, urged parents to get themselves educated on cyber-wellness before their children are exposed to the Internet.
Parents need to 'get there first', he said, so they can pass on the right values instead of letting their children absorb it on their own.
Separately yesterday, the ITU launched worldwide a draft document containing recommendations for parents, telcos, Internet operators and governments. The Child Online Protection initiative is open for feedback from the public between now and the end of next month. Its suggestions include the setting up of a national sex-offender database and denying offenders access to websites popular with children.
Commentary by TOUCH Cyber Welllness
Cyber Bullying may be more common than you think.
33% of Secondary 2 children surveyed by TOUCH in 2008 indicated that they have been cyber-bullied in some ways.
Some children remain silent when they are bullied on cyberspace because they do not know what to do. Some may not want to speak up especially if they know the bully. This may be worse because parents are unaware and cannot intervene.
How can parents help their child?
- Speak to your child regularly to find out how he is doing on the Internet.
- Set rules and guidelines on who your child can “talk to” on the Internet just as you would in real life.
- Place the computer in an open area of your home so that you can observe your child.
- Get to know your child’s friends and Internet friends – be friendly and approachable so that the channel of communication with them is kept open.
- Get help if you feel your child is cyber-bullied and you do not know what to do. (Parents can call our TOUCH Cyber Wellness Counselling Line at 1800 337 2252.)
- Make a police report if you feel that your child is in danger, or your child is fearful.
0 comments:
Post a Comment