JOHOR BARU: Parents have an important role to play in protecting their children from harmful content on social media, says Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching.
She added that parents should learn how to monitor and protect their children when they use smartphones, tablets and other devices to log into the internet.
“Parents carry a very important responsibility. Firstly, as adults, we must ensure that we do not easily fall victim to scams.
“Secondly, we need to know how to monitor and protect our children when they use handphones, tablets or any devices provided by their parents,” she said.
Teo said this in a press conference after opening the state-level Safe Internet, Family, Education, and Community Networking Convention (KIPJKP) here on Saturday (Aug 22).
Teo said the programme, which was previously focused on schools, had now expanded its target group to parent-teacher associations.
She said such groups were invited to the convention as it was not practical to bring all parents from schools to the programme.
“We hope the parents who attend can bring what they have learnt back to their schools and work with the schools so that similar programmes can be organised at their respective locations,” she said.
Teo said the initiative had previously reached primary and secondary schools as well as institutions of higher learning.
“This is not only about how they can control their children. Parents themselves need to be educated so that they understand the risks and know how to guide their children,” she added.
Teo also stressed that parents should be aware of the government’s policy concerning social media accounts for children aged 16 and below.
She said the government’s position was that children aged 16 and below should not have their own social media accounts, although parents could still register accounts for their children.
“However, how parents control their children’s online activities is very important. That is why it is not just about prohibiting them, but more importantly, educating the parents.
“However, I feel that awareness is still lacking. What is important is the responsibility of the platforms to monitor whether the account holder is aged 16 or below,” she said.
Teo said the KIPJKP programme would also be taken to Sabah and Sarawak in September and October respectively.
She urged parents or communities interested in organising similar programmes to contact MCMC so that the agency could work with them to promote online safety awareness.
