Social Media Awareness: Give Children Early Exposure To Digital Education - Mcca

KUALA LUMPUR, April 22 (Bernama) -- Children need to be given early exposure to digital education to ensure they understand the pros and cons, as well as the risks and consequences of using social media, in addition to understanding the ethics of using the medium.

President of the Malaysian Cyber Consumer Association (MCCA) Siraj Jalil said this, among others, could prevent children from falling victim to online criminal activities and scams.

“The most important thing is education. With digital education in schools, whatever the Ministry of Communications recommends for the good of users - it is easier for society to digest, understand and apply.

“Through education, children at school are taught about the good and bad of this digital use and they can be sub-agents to convey information they learned at school to their parents,” he told Bernama.

He said formal education at school and informal education at home should also go hand in hand as children are more exposed to the use of social media when they are at home, therefore parents and guardians need to control the exposure of the technology to children.

Communications and Multimedia Content Forum of Malaysia (CMCF) in a statement today also suggested that parents and guardians ensure children are only given access to devices and internet content with appropriate supervision and monitoring.

While fully supporting the call made by the Minister of Communications, Fahmi Fadzil, who conveyed the warning of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to parents to ensure children under the age of 13 do not have their own social media accounts, CMCF encourages parents to be aware of the risks and dangers present on social media, especially for children.

“It is important for parents to communicate openly with their children about social media usage and to ensure they understand the safety measures that need to be taken,” he said.

According to CMCF, the move was vital as children below the age of 13 may not fully understand the risks of using social media.

It said without proper monitoring, the children could easily fall victim to various online scams, cyberattacks and abuse.

“Social media may put pressure on children who are not yet mature or able to control their emotions well. Exposure to inappropriate content can have a negative impact on their emotional and psychological development,” the statement said.

CMCF said children are more likely to share personal information publicly on social media because they do not yet understand the dangers and risks that may arise and that can lead to invasion of privacy or sharing of information with malicious parties.

Yesterday, Fahmi reportedly said the MCMC found that it was not appropriate for children under 13 to use any social media and that most social media platforms did not permit children of such age to sign up for an account.

-- BERNAMA