Govt out to put a stop to cyberbullying

PETALING JAYA: The Govern­ment is moving in to keep our kids safe online.

With the shocking rise in cyberbullying cases, new guidelines to prevent children from falling prey to the dangers of the Internet are in the works.

CyberSecurity Malaysia (CSM) chief executive officer Datuk Dr Amirudin Abdul Wahab said the child online protection and cyber parenting guidelines would be launched next year.

It’s our responsibility to prevent vulnerable children from becoming victims, he said.

“The guidelines will combat online dangers and threats like cyberbullying, pornography, violence, racial abuse, hate, gaming addiction, fraud, and deception.

“We’re developing the modules for parents and teachers to address these critical areas,” he told Sunday Star.

He said the guidelines could be used to teach children on how to safeguard themselves from predators and from being manipulated by strangers.

Children, he said, would learn about safe online behaviour, how to be good digital citizens, the differences between real and online worlds, and the importance of sharing their online experiences with parents or teachers.

The modules, to be used in schools, were developed based on results of last year’s national baseline study on cybersecurity aware­ness among schoolchildren.

The study, conducted in collaboration with the Education Ministry, covers Internet usage, social media usage, parental control and Internet safety.

On Friday, The Star highlighted that at least one in two young participants of Digi CyberSAFE’s Stop Cyberbullying 2017 survey has experienced cyberbullying.

The joint survey with CSM found that 58% of the respondents experienced cyberbullying on social media or chat apps, and 75% had received nasty messages in multi-player online games.

From 2015 to May this year, CSM received 90 reports from Internet users aged below 18.

The incidents were content-related, or involved intrusion, malicious codes, vulnerabilities re­­port, spam, cyber harassment and fraud.

A total of 70 reports were on cyber harassment and fraud.

“Between 2013 and the first quarter of this year, there were 48 cyberbullying incidents involving victims aged 18 and below,” added Dr Amirudin.

He said online users have also reported money game activities.

According to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), initiatives to create awareness on smart Internet usage, especially among groups vulnerable to cyber threats, were carried out through the Klik Dengan Bijak (KDB) programme.

“We’ve also established strategic partnerships with the Scouts Association of Malaysia and Malaysian Youth Council to implement dedicated youth outreach programmes.

“These partnerships stand to build a culture of responsibility and ethical use among youth particularly within today’s cyber world.”

KDB has produced a number of educational modules in collaboration with agencies like the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN), Department of Social Welfare and 1Malaysia Internet centres, said the commission.