13 September 2019 -Does your child know how to keep their personal data safe, or recognise trolling? To keep children safe online, dtac in partnership with Telenor Group and Digital Economy Promotion Agency (DEPA), is launching a new interactive website, SafeInternetForKid.com, to be used by schools, pupils and parents.
The internet can be a challenge to all of us. Who can you trust online? Is it ok to post that picture of your friend on social media without asking? Where is the line between humour and hurtful comments? Who can help when things go wrong? Being online provides boundless opportunities, but also some real threats.
“We see that many young people are more tech-savvy than their parents, but that does not always mean that they know how to stay safe. This is why dtac has closely worked with Telenor Group to leverage the expertise of Parent Zone, the global experts in digital family life, to develop SafeInternetForKid.com, an online curriculum that teachers and parents can use to teach children and youths how to get the most out of the internet, while avoiding danger. dtac is pleased to introduce this global online curriculum in the collaborative framework with DEPA to promote digital literacy as a part of the digital economy promotion policy,” says Alexandra Reich, Chief Executive Officer, dtac.
“DEPA has an important mission to empower Thai citizen to be ready for the 21st Century. DEPA encourages Thai people, especially children, to increase knowledge and skills for Digital Technology while growing immunities to the risks of Internet that are usually complexed, instant and impactful. DEPA has the Digital Manpower Fund where we use as a mechanism to collaborate with other players to combat with the online risks and to improve Thailand’s digital economy,” says Asst. Prof. Dr. Nattapon Nimmanpatcharin, Director, DEPA
SafeInternetForKid.com builds digital resilience
Every child should be safe online. That is unfortunately not always the case. A survey of Thai children and online risk during November-December 2017 by Child Online Protection Action Thailand (COPAT), found that a sample of Thai children all over the country aged 9-18, children are exposed to online risks such as pornographic risks 68.07% cyberbullying 46.11% and dating friends online 15.97%
To combat the challenges posed online, SafeInternetForKid.com aims to foster young people’s digital resilience, helping them:
- understand when they are at risk online
- know how to seek help
- learn from the experiences of being online
- recover when things go wrong
SafeInternetForKid.com is designed to help children aged 7-16, their families and schools. It is an online world with an interactive game and downloadable resources. We follow a day in the life of Lil’ Blue, who faces temptations, bullies and fake news online. In the interactive game, the player answers questions to navigate Lil’ Blue safely through the digital world. Part of the curriculum is designed to be used in an offline environment, to accommodate schools without internet connection.
To optimizing the benefits of SafeInternetForKid.com, dtac has been collaborating with certain academic institutes and Inskru, a startup that aims to empower young teachers in Thailand. We have reached out a wide network of teachers at the secondary education level and over 50,000 of students nationwide via both online and on-ground activities. “Telenor Group believes that connectivity can empower societies and reduce inequalities. This partnership is an important contributor towards our global commitment of educating four million children across our markets on online safety by 2020,” says Manisha Dogra, VP of Sustainability Asia at Telenor Group.
Young Safe Internet Leader’s Camp as a platform of youth enablement to tackle online risks at schools
Through a camp, More than 200 persons of youths and teachers will be engaging with experts to exchange constructive dialogue on initiatives to tackle online risks at schools.The youths’ initiatives will be further developed into projects-in-action at schools with advice and financial support from dtac and the Internet for Thailand Foundation. As a data-driven mindset and skills are critical for the workforce in the present and the future, the youths will also be exposed to digital opportunities and future skills such as using data for visualization and storytelling. A platform for youth enablement in the collaboration with DEPA and the Internet for Thailand Foundation, the first camp series will take place this October.
Learn how to stay safe online while having fun at www.safeinternetforkid.com today.
