NILAI: Educators should not to use students, especially those in primary schools, as content on their social media accounts, says Datuk Fahmi Fadzil.
The Communications Minister said this is because such content could be misused by irresponsible individuals, including for child sexual crimes.
"If a teacher is also a social media influencer, they should find other types of content because issues related to safety, personal data, and so on may arise if they expose students' faces or names on their social media.
"This could make children victims of sexual crimes, child grooming, or sexual grooming. We want to prevent these crimes and problems from happening, so teachers should not allow their students' images to be shared on social media," he told Bernama.
He said this after attending the Bicara Eksekutif Madani: Kepimpinan Pendidikan Memaknai Agenda Malaysia Madani discourse, which was attended by over 300 teachers from primary and secondary schools nationwide on Thursday (March 20).
Fahmi underscored that his ministry continuously collaborates with the Education Ministry on this matter, making it a key focus to ensure the Internet is used safely.
"The ministry provides Internet access to all schools, with around 4,000 schools targeted under the Point of Presence project.
"What is the point of having affordable, fast, and widespread Internet if it is not used safely? We want it to be safe, especially for children and families," he said.
He added that the Online Safety Roadshow, organised in collaboration with National Information Dissemination Centres (NADI) and planned to involve 10,000 schools nationwide, is expected to commence in schools around the Klang Valley after Aidilfitri.
Earlier, in his speech, Fahmi said teachers should understand current trends related to children's content on social media so that the younger generation can be guided and given proper explanations, preventing them from becoming addicted to negative content on the Internet.
"Social media is not suitable for children. Through the roadshow, one of the messages I want to convey, especially to primary school teachers, is to stop using TikTok to create content involving students.
"Social media platforms record and store data. When we upload content, we are essentially handing over our personal information and surroundings to servers and platforms, most of which are owned by foreign countries.
"That is why we need to be cautious and aware of what content is appropriate to share on social media," he said. - Bernama
