Kuala lumpur: The rapid advancement of the telecommunications industry, proliferation of smart and mobile devices, and expansion of Internet access have made social connectivity possible anytime and anywhere. Technology and social media platforms have become inseparable companions in modern life – so integral that many feel their day is incomplete without going online.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, having transformed lifestyles across all age groups, the borderless digital world raises concerns such as digital addiction and exposure to cyber threats. Children are especially vulnerable, often unknowingly falling prey to predators, scammers, and bullies in cyberspace. UNICEF’s ‘Our Lives Online’ report in 2020 highlighted that 91 percent of Malaysian children aged 13 to 17 accessed the Internet daily, with 70 percent exposed to disturbing content and more than 40 percent unwilling to seek help. Furthermore, a study by UNICEF Malaysia in 2021 found that four percent of children aged 12 to 17 who used the Internet had experienced threats of sexual exploitation and abuse. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), in its 2020 Internet Users Survey, also revealed that 56.3 percent of children surfed the Internet alone using digital devices.

In response to these concerns, the nationwide Safe Internet Campaign, launched recently by the Ministry of Communications in collaboration with MCMC, serves as a timely initiative to promote cyber safety and teach the public, especially primary schoolchildren, to become responsible Internet users. As Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil emphasized in a brief video message aired on TV, children today are exposed to a borderless world filled with threats and deception. The campaign focuses on four key areas: cyberbullying; online scams and gambling; child sexual exploitation; and data protection and digital literacy, with plans to expand to more than 10,000 educational institutions by the end of this year.

In Sabah, nearly 1,300 schools are participating in the campaign, including Sung Siew National Primary School in Sandakan. Its headmistress, Liew Choi Yen, described the initiative as a crucial step towards guiding schoolchildren to use the Internet safely, pointing out the necessity of such campaigns in the age of rapid technological growth. She highlighted the importance of parental involvement in monitoring children’s online activities, as they spend more time at home than in school.

Chong Yee Kei, a guidance and counselling teacher at SRK Sung Siew, stressed the importance of cooperation between parents and teachers in supervising students’ online behavior. She pointed out that digital learning has become widespread, indirectly exposing students to online risks when left unsupervised. Chong suggested that the Safe Internet Campaign continue in the future to increase awareness of online risks and consequences.

Parents have expressed support for the campaign and emphasized the importance of controlling children’s Internet use to prevent access to unsafe content. Norayuni Jaafar, a parent, suggested using parenting apps to monitor smart device usage, while Herman Yussof advocated for setting screen time limits to ensure children focus on their studies.