KUALA LUMPUR: In an effort to create a safe online environment for Malaysian youths, Celcom Axiata Berhad today launched the ‘Parents Unite For Online Safety’ programme.
Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, who officiated the launch, said the initiative is in line with the government’s National Transformation 2050 initiative.
He also said the programme was timely as there was an urgent need to educate parents and raise awareness on the various digital threats posed to children.
“Children make up the digital generation today and the gadgets they receive from their parents have made the Internet accessible to them, anywhere and at anytime.
“They are easily exposed to a lot of threats on the Internet, such as pornography, cyber bullying and scams.
“This is a serious matter and we need to address this by educating parents on the dangers of the Internet by conducting such programmes,” he said.
Khairy, who is also Umno Youth chief, said the government hopes to enter into collaborations with more companies to create a safer online environment for future generations.
Under the programme, a total of 175 1Malaysia Internet Centres nationwide will be equipped with an application called “KidSafe”, a parental control tool for Internet filtering.
The tool is a tracking device application, which allows parents can monitor their children’s movements and behaviour when surfing the Internet.
Celcom Axiata Berhad chief executive officer Micheal Kuehner said as a leading telecommunication service provider, Celcom recognised the growing number of cyber-related threats against children.
“We are honoured to have received Khairy’s recognition. We will continuously strive towards creating a safe digital environment (for our children),” he said.
Its deputy chief executive officer Azwan Khan said Celcom has so far received positive reviews from parents since the application was released in September last year.
Azwan also said the company would organise more campaigns in the future to promote online safety.