Work together to counter child abuse, protect children from Internet dangers

Parents, guardians, society and the relevant authorities need to act together to counter child abuse and protect them from the dangers that may come through the Internet.

Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak said many used the Internet for education or to improve their businesses but others had also abused this communications platform.

"A Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) survey states that 15.5 per cent of Internet users are aged 19 years and below and own a mobile phone from as early as 12 years old.

"Unprotected and unguided, their youth makes them vulnerable to negative activities," he told Bernama when asked on the exploitation and abuse of children on the Internet, today.

He said, cyber criminals had been known to use chat applications and social media platforms such as Whatsapp, Wechat and Bigo Live to establish contact with these young users and to gain their trust with a view to grooming or luring them into dangerous situations.

Therefore he said, parents and guardians needed to arm themselves with knowledge of new trends on the Internet to regulate (their) children; talk about risks, involve themselves in their children’s online activities and at the same time guide them towards positive use of the Internet.

Salleh said the government had been working hard to bring Internet access to the population all across the nation.

He said, based on the current household broadband penetration rate per 100 households of 78.7 per cent, this indicated that the society in this country was heading towards a digital lifestyle.

Current active internet users in Malaysia exceeded 20.1 million with more than 17.4 million active on social media with the MCMC Internet Users Survey revealing that 74.3 per cent of users access the Internet via mobile phones, mainly to obtain information and for communication purposes, he said.

However, he said, with better access to the Internet came the responsibility to use it positively.

Elaborating further, Salleh said to support parents, particularly those in rural areas, the government via MCMC, had established facilities such as the 1 Malaysia Internet Centre (PI1M) to help them learn about Information Technology (ICT).

"Around 700 PI1Ms have been established around the country in areas fulfilling the selection criteria.

"Internet centres can improve ICT literacy, guide and advise parents on the use of ICT, provide the opportunity to learn Internet-use procedures, especially the correct use of social media platforms," he said.

He said all this would help ensure an effective monitoring process of their children's online activities.

At the same time, he said the government via MCMC, was working with the Internet Service Providers in the country to provide Parental Control applications to mobile phone users.

"Parents will have the option of using these applications as a tool to monitor their children’s activities and help keep them safe," he added.