There are many potential threats from the online environment to children.

5 major threats in cyberspace

The rate of children accessing devices with internet connection is increasing. Besides the undeniable benefits of the internet, there are still many dangers and pitfalls that are difficult for children to recognize and avoid, such as accessing bad content and fake information; being bullied and lured on social networks; being at risk of being addicted to using social networks, negatively affecting learning outcomes and daily activities...

Talking about the current situation of children using the internet, Ms. Dinh Thi Nhu Hoa - Head of Inspection Department, Vietnam Cyberspace Emergency Response Center, Department of Information Security (Ministry of Information and Communications) said that according to the latest statistics of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), 82% of Vietnamese children aged 12-13 use the internet every day, this figure for children aged 14-15 is 93%.

Every year, there are about 2,000 cases of child abuse, of which the number of cases of abuse in the online environment accounts for a large proportion. Alarmingly, the situation of children being isolated online, causing recent heartbreaking incidents, raises the need to protect children in cyberspace, which needs to be given special attention in child protection work in the coming time. (Illustration photo)

"In the report, there are many figures that startle me, related to forms of child abuse, being lured into giving money or gifts in exchange for sexual acts. There is a very worrying figure, which is that most children when abused or harassed online often do not tell anyone, if they do, they only tell their friends and do not share with their parents or teachers - this shows that the connection and willingness to share of children is extremely limited," said Ms. Nhu Hoa.

Ms. Dinh Thi Nhu Hoa pointed out 5 major risks and threats to children in cyberspace, which are: Access to harmful content that distorts thinking, lifestyle, and development; having private information and personal information spread, negatively affecting children's lives; being bullied online in many different forms; overusing and becoming addicted to the Internet; being lured, enticed, harassed, scammed, threatened, blackmailed, and forced to participate in illegal activities.

Also according to the UNICEF survey in 2022, 23% of children said they sometimes accidentally saw sensitive images or videos advertised online. In fact, pornographic content is everywhere, so blocking pornographic websites is not enough and ineffective.

According to Ms. Hoa, the situation of children being exposed to a lot of inappropriate content and programs on social networking platforms is largely due to parents letting their children use devices with them.

In addition, one of the dangers affecting children is the dissemination and leakage of private information and personal information of children on the internet. In particular, parents are the ones who share information and images of their children without control on social networks, which can lead to many negative effects on children.

Ms. Nhu Hoa said that through analyzing specific cases, it shows that if children are unfortunately addicted to the Internet, supporting them is very difficult, because it involves human resources, time, as well as whether they can reduce their dependence on using the Internet and social networks or not?

"This current situation sounds an alarm about the incorrect awareness of parents themselves. In many families, smart devices and programs on social networking platforms have become children's "digital nannies," said Ms. Hoa.

Parents must be the "gatekeepers"

According to the Ministry of Public Security, in the first quarter of 2023, the police force verified and handled 135 cases of child abuse related to the online environment, blocking tens of thousands of articles and websites with harmful content for children on the internet.

According to the assessment of relevant units, the problem of child and minor abuse in the online environment is complicated, and the authorities, businesses, organizations, and associations on child protection have been making many efforts to prevent it. However, due to the complex nature of the online environment as well as the limitations in awareness of actual users, this work still has many difficulties and challenges.

Ms. Dinh Thi Nhu Hoa said that to prevent risks from the online environment, it is necessary for all levels, sectors, schools and families to join hands and participate to build a safe and healthy online environment for children; protect children from fraud, seduction, abuse, bullying and harmful information.

Ms. Dinh Thi Nhu Hoa said that the Ministry of Information and Communications and the Ministry of Public Security have discovered and handled many cases related to the dissemination of bad and toxic information on social networks such as Facebook, Youtube... to create a healthy environment for children as well as request businesses providing digital services and content on the network environment to enforce legal regulations on ensuring information safety and security, protecting personal information, and protecting children. At the same time, strengthen the implementation of technical measures, filtering, and removing content that is not suitable for children.

In 2021, the network for responding to and protecting children online was established with the participation of 24 units including state management agencies, social organizations, and enterprises to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of state management and the implementation of tasks to prevent and combat child abuse online, contributing to raising social awareness and creating a safe and healthy online environment for children. Currently, this network is still operating very actively.

"Proactively updating technology trends to support and protect children plays an extremely important role. Therefore, with the function of coordinating the network of rescue and protection of children in the online environment, the Department of Information Security is continuing to operate the website: https://vn-cop.vn/ with the purpose of communicating and spreading skills and knowledge about protecting children in the online environment," said Ms. Hoa.

Regarding information about this website, Ms. Nhu Hoa shared that the website includes a "Network" feature to introduce the functions, tasks, establishment process, and members of the Network for Rescue and Protection of Children in Cyberspace.

The website also provides a “Documents” feature to share media publications to raise awareness, skills and experience in protecting children online.

In addition, the website also includes other features such as: "Questions and Answers" to help users ask questions to get answers about child protection issues in the online environment; "Expressing wishes" so that children and people can express their opinions and wishes through the website.

Finally, the website also provides useful tools and software to help children participate in healthy interactions online as well as to "report abuse" and receive reports of child abuse online.

"This is considered a channel for consulting with state agencies in advising policies that are in line with the legitimate aspirations of the people, especially children," said Ms. Hoa.

In addition, according to Ms. Nhu Hoa, media and press agencies need to pay special attention to protecting the privacy and personal secrets of children when posting news and articles about children; businesses need to encourage the development of applications, software or online platforms and games that create useful playgrounds for children, helping children interact healthily and creatively in cyberspace.

Ms. Dinh Thi Nhu Hoa said that, besides the legal corridor including regulations from Decrees to Circulars, and technological solutions, the most important solution is still to strengthen the role of families and schools in training, monitoring, and guiding children to use the Internet safely; knowing how to use utilities and applications as well as recognizing harmful and inappropriate information and video clips.

"More than anyone else, parents are the "gatekeepers" and "shields" for their children, so they need to proactively learn and apply technological solutions to control their children's personal information, helping their children interact healthily in the online environment," Ms. Nhu Hoa emphasized.

Hoa Giang

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/tiem-an-nhieu-moi-de-doa-lon-tu-moi-truong-mang-doi-voi-tre-em-post270431.html