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Tribune News Network
Doha
“Momo Challege”, a devilish and terrifying online meme that has been spreading panic among parents, is a hoax. But not if you ask legions of parents who are still warning about the online menace and are worried about their children’s safety.
What’s important is the parents need to grow up and they must empower their children to be safe online.
Although the challenge was reported to be fake, it shows yet again how easy it is for children to become victims to online predators.
As Qatar heads towards a true digital transformation, becoming one of the world’s most connected countries, keeping children safe online is just as important as keeping them safe offline.
Empowering children and having open conversations with them is the first step in ensuring their online safety.
Parents must teach children about cyber bullying.
Vodafone Qatar’s research, conducted through its digital literacy programme, AmanTECH, showed that there are children in the country spending more than 8 hours per day on screens.
These staggering statistics demonstrate that it is vital for parents to ensure that their children are well-equipped to handle any online dangers that may face them.
One way to help children with Internet safety is to use parental controls, Internet filters and content-management apps to limit their access to bad content. However, empowering children and having open conversations with them is the first step in ensuring their online safety. From teaching them about cyberbullying to alerting them about the dangers of speaking to strangers online, these steps will empower them to identify such dangers and arm them with the knowledge that they can speak to their parents about them should they ever occur.
In statement, Vodafone Qatar, said, “By increasing their digital literacy, we would enable children to access the wealth of opportunities that the internet provides while still staying safe. Vodafone is committed to raising digital safety awareness in Qatar.”
Vodafone said through partnership with the Ministry of Transport and Communications, it has been delivering online safety workshops at primary schools since late 2017. To date, 30 workshops have been conducted for close to 3000 students in Years 3-8, with plans to conduct 20 more before the end of 2019. During each workshop, the children are required to perform tasks related to online safety, to learn specific skills including identifying fake news vs real, safe online gaming, and how to deal with cyber bullying and reputation online.
Doha
“Momo Challege”, a devilish and terrifying online meme that has been spreading panic among parents, is a hoax. But not if you ask legions of parents who are still warning about the online menace and are worried about their children’s safety.
What’s important is the parents need to grow up and they must empower their children to be safe online.
Although the challenge was reported to be fake, it shows yet again how easy it is for children to become victims to online predators.
As Qatar heads towards a true digital transformation, becoming one of the world’s most connected countries, keeping children safe online is just as important as keeping them safe offline.
Empowering children and having open conversations with them is the first step in ensuring their online safety.
Parents must teach children about cyber bullying.
Vodafone Qatar’s research, conducted through its digital literacy programme, AmanTECH, showed that there are children in the country spending more than 8 hours per day on screens.
These staggering statistics demonstrate that it is vital for parents to ensure that their children are well-equipped to handle any online dangers that may face them.
One way to help children with Internet safety is to use parental controls, Internet filters and content-management apps to limit their access to bad content. However, empowering children and having open conversations with them is the first step in ensuring their online safety. From teaching them about cyberbullying to alerting them about the dangers of speaking to strangers online, these steps will empower them to identify such dangers and arm them with the knowledge that they can speak to their parents about them should they ever occur.
In statement, Vodafone Qatar, said, “By increasing their digital literacy, we would enable children to access the wealth of opportunities that the internet provides while still staying safe. Vodafone is committed to raising digital safety awareness in Qatar.”
Vodafone said through partnership with the Ministry of Transport and Communications, it has been delivering online safety workshops at primary schools since late 2017. To date, 30 workshops have been conducted for close to 3000 students in Years 3-8, with plans to conduct 20 more before the end of 2019. During each workshop, the children are required to perform tasks related to online safety, to learn specific skills including identifying fake news vs real, safe online gaming, and how to deal with cyber bullying and reputation online.
