WHERE dangers used to lurk in
the real-world playground, these
days, virtual playrooms seem to
pose the bigger danger, with risks
from paedophiles online or children
stumbling upon cybersmut.
One group of IT professionals
want to make
cyberspace safer for
children.
The Internet Industry Association
of Singapore was formed last year, comprising
more than 20 companies dealing with IT services,
such as Microsoft, Yahoo and eBay.
It will launch a portal within the next week
to provide advice and Internet software protection.
Mr Anton Ravindran, 46, who chairs the association,
believes companies which offer IT services have a
responsibility to help comsumers, expecially families, cope with online
dangers.
The businessman who runs Genovate Solutions,
an IT company, says: :Internet penetration is going up by the minute,
but we don't have enough awareness out there."
There are "faceless predators" in cyberspace, he says.
Figures bear this out: Two in 10 children encounter a sexual
approach or solicitation online.
Almost three in 10 are exposed to pictures of naked people or
people having sex.
These findings are from several surveys done in the United States,
which show that it is very easy for children to stumble onto such
undesirable sites.
Most view such sites while doing thier regular surfing, visiting chatrooms,
or when they misspell websites.
A Singapore study in 2004 found that 16 per cent of youths have met
offline the strangers they met online. And 22 per cent who did so went
alone.
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| PHOTO: STEPHANIE YEOW |
KEEPING SMUT OUT: Even with IT help from the association, the onus is
still on parents to monitor what their kids do online, says Mr Ravindran. |
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Singapore has formed commitees to look into issues of Internet safety for
children. There was also non-profit group Parents Advisory Group for the Internet (PAGi),
which has been merged into a bigger Community Advisory Committee this year.
One issue that surfaced recently is whether schools' curriculum should include safe surfing on the Internet.
Another perennial concern is the need for tighter regulation.
The association is in regular contact with the Geovernment to discuss such issues, he says, adding:
"We should not be overly concerned about allocating responsility to the authorities. Instead,
people should get involved in doing something about the issue." | |
This community spirit led the association to come up with its portal, which will offer Internet safety software,
Cyberpatrol, free for at least three months.
It also intends to organise seminars and workshops.
The software works by providing families with "profiles", where children are forbidden to enter certain sites or use
credit cards online.
But he admits that such "blocking and filtering" is not foolproof. The onus is still on parents to monitor what their children are doing online.
"With more than one million websites launched each year, it is impossible to block all inappropriate sites," he
say. |
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