KEY ROLE: Parents must be the first in line to provide guidance and monitor their children’s online behavioural patterns to counter risks and instil responsible digital citizenship
MOST schoolchildren aged 7 to 18 are digital natives — they have experience of communication and media technology such as the Internet, send instant and text messages, and play games on MP3 players and game consoles.
They may navigate the Net skilfully but the National Survey 2014: CyberSAFE in Schools report finds them lacking in good judgement and positive cyber conduct. The survey gathered responses of approximately 14,000 schoolchildren who participated in nationwide CyberSAFE in Schools workshops over nine months. Tabulated and processed by Taylor Nelson Sofres Malaysia Sdn Bhd and analysed by education research experts, the survey examined several dimensions of Internet-related behaviour: online safety, cyberbullying, support networks and personal concerns.
The CyberSAFE in Schools programme is a smart public-private partnership initiated by the Education Ministry, DiGi, CyberSecurity Malaysia and Childline Malaysia.
Associate principal of DiGi Telecommunications communications and corporate responsibility as well as head of the CyberSAFE in Schools programme, Philip Ling, said one of the key findings of the survey is that many children — whether in urban or rural areas — do not undertake a broad range of actions to protect themselves on the Internet, with a large number reporting that they either take no or little action on online safety.
“Forty per cent of the schoolchildren do not know how to protect themselves online. Eighty-three per cent of them are vulnerable to online risks due to minimal protective actions taken. Two-thirds of younger schoolchildren (below 13 years old) take very low protective steps (zero to three) towards online safety.
“And 52 per cent of schoolchildren still believe that they are safe online,” said Ling.
An average of 70 per cent of schoolchildren are not concerned with an invasion of their privacy or the anonymity of the person they interact with, making them susceptible to cybergrooming and cyberstalking.
“Cybergrooming is criminal in nature where the person the child interacts with online pretends to be someone else — common among paedophiles; while cyberstalking is being followed on the Net, especially when the child shares his every activity on social media which could lead to kidnapping.”
The study found that there is little difference in the level of cybersafety exercised by male and female children. Children of all ages reported that they have been bullied, with incidences of bullying being highest among those aged 13 to 15. However, more male than female children reported that they have been bullied online. As far as the urban-rural strata is concerned, more urban children indicate that they have been bullied despite the fact that they practise a higher level of safety.
The level of online harassment is reportedly high at above 70 per cent, especially for calling other children mean names, posting improper messages and inappropriate photos. A worrying 64 per cent of children feel that sending improper SMS, posting inappropriate photos and pretending to be someone else are not cyberbullying.
Such patterns in children behaviour, Ling said, point to a need for adult intervention so that responsible online behaviour and pro-social habits prevail.
However, the study revealed 50 per cent of children are unsupervised when online, with close to 40 per cent claiming they are not bound by any rules on safety.
Sixty-one per cent of the children turn to their family members when they encounter negative online experiences. Although there are 10 reporting-channel options including a helpline, six per cent of schoolchildren remain silent.
“Families with computers in common areas of their home tend to exert more rules on cyber safety. However, this measure alone is insufficient as an increasing number of children access the Internet on their mobile phones,” added Ling,
He highlighted the fact that as adults are perceived to be a source of socio-emotional support, it is a call to improve capacity-building for parents, school staff and other stakeholders in society so that they can offer appropriate forms of consultation and in the long run instil responsible digital citizenship and ensure a positive online experience for the children.
Measures include increasing public access to education on Internet safety to help build digital resilience, growing strong public and private support systems to assist children who have encountered negative experiences online, and capacity-building for adults through strategic intervention by parents and teachers to resolve problematic online situations.
Meanwhile, Dr Amirudin Abdul Wahab, chief executive officer of CyberSecurity Malaysia, an agency under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, said it is important to keep in mind that the students surveyed are children, and it is their parents’ responsibility to educate them and keep them safe.
If their parents and teachers are ignorant about cybersecurity, then they will be too, he said.
“As an analogy, let’s say a family always uses their hands to eat their meals at home. Will the children know how to eat with chopsticks or fork and spoon? Well, some children may learn from their friends, while others may not.”
When it comes to children, educating and nurturing them must start at home, then at school and later they learn from friends. When reaching out to schoolchildren, CyberSecurity Malaysia involves the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) and the Education Ministry. “So parents and teachers know what the children learn from us.”
In conclusion, Amirudin said, to educate children on online security, parents must first be educated followed by the teachers.
“Parents must remember that they are primarily responsible for checking on the children’s Internet use, social media activity and online security; and educating them on using the Internet ethically and positively.
“Parents must continue to help and advise their children on cybersecurity — do it regularly, continuously and repeatedly,” he added.
In this regard, Cybersecurity Malaysia’s focus is on CyberParenting, one of the CyberSAFE Programmes introduced for PTAs. Launched last year, it is a two-day cybersecurity training for parents and teachers, with a focus on how to educate children.
The programme runs on “by request” basis. So far 500 parents and teachers in Malacca and Perak have attended it.