Parents, be wary of on-line threats to children or live to regret it!

How do I keep my children safe online? What the security experts tell their kids
Professionals from the internet security world explain the advice they give to their own offspring
How can you teach your children to use the internet safely? It’s a question I’ve been thinking about a lot, as the father of five and seven year-old sons who are already adept with parental tablets and laptops alike. They know the internet is a magical entity capable of answering obscure questions; providing printable templates of pretty much any animal to colour in; and serving up endlessly-repeatable videos of startled cats, Stampy’s Minecraft exploits and loom band tutorials. What they don’t know is anything about viruses, online privacy, phishing, social networking etiquette, and any other internet safety and/or security issue you can think of. Teaching them about this now and in the future is my job, and the challenge of getting it right is intimidating – even for someone who writes about a lot of these issues for a living … for more, go to https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/aug/11/how-to-keep-kids-safe-online-children-advice

Parents, be wary of on-line threats to children or live to regret it!

Stop taking for granted that the internet is safe for your children.

A United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) survey conducted in Malaysia has found that parents have a significant role in keeping their children safe online.

“The survey found that about 86% of children polled identified their parents as the most trusted adult source to seek help in case of online sexual abuse,” Gerakan Deputy Speaker Syed Abdul Razak Alsagoff said.

“If we neglect them, there is no one else for them to turn to when they are in need or are facing online problems or threats.

“In this 21st Century digital era, cyberspace is influencing and ruling the lives of mankind. If we are not savvy and alert of the online threats, what is good and what is bad, what is true and what is fake, we may not only live to regret it, we may be miserable for the rest of our lives,” he added.

Talk to your children about their online lives every two weeks, urges charity
Internet safety should be treated like road safety and caution with strangers as new figures show frequency of exposure to inappropriate content, says children’s charity
A leading charity has urged parents to do more to keep their children safe online as new figures reveal how often young people are exposed to violence, hatred, sexual content, bullying and other inappropriate content when using the internet. Amanda Azeez, associate head of child safety online at the UK’s National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), said parents should have regular, open conversations with their children about their online lives, and discuss basic safety in the same way they are also are taught how to cross the road and not to talk to strangers.
Online grooming of children often 'alarmingly fast', researchers find
“It’s normal to have conversations about crossing the road, bullying and talking to strangers, but with the digital world changing all the time, it can be hard to have conversations about staying safe online,” Azeez said. “We really want to help parents and carers to feel more confident and to talk to their children at least every two weeks, if not more regularly.” ... for more, go to https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jun/06/nspcc-urges-parents-to-do-more-to-keep-their-children-safe-online

Syed Razak, who is Gerakan’s nominee to contest N.37 Bukit Lanjan in the coming 14th General Election (GE14), said: “Whether we like it or not, the digital world will affect our daily lives and lifestyle. No one can escape it, directly and indirectly.”

He said the smart handphone had become the single most disruptive technology in the world.

“No one seems to be able to go on with their daily lives without it. The most popular joke at the dining table today is, the (smart) handphone must ‘taste’ the food first before us humans.

“That is how much the smart handphone has taken over our lives. There, parents must make it a must to find time to keep an eye on what their children are doing online,” he added.

Syed Razak said it was therefore timely that the Royal Malaysian Police Force (PDRM) has launched the Malaysia Internet Crime Against Children Investigation Unit (Micac).

"It's a very appropriate proactive step to help safeguard children from cyberspace predators," he added.
Here's the online news portal Free Malaysia Today (FMT)'s report on the Unisef survey and The Star Online report on Micac):

"February 11, 2018

Unicef survey: Parents have role to play in keeping kids safe online

FMT Reporters
 

PETALING JAYA: A United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) survey conducted in Malaysia has highlighted the importance of parents in being aware and responsive towards the risks their children face on the Internet.

In a statement, Unicef Malaysia said about 86% of children polled identified their parents as the most trusted adult source to seek help in case of online sexual abuse.

It said the result of the survey conducted on more than 800 girls and boys aged 14 to 17 in Johor, Kelantan, Penang and Sarawak underscored the important role parents played in keeping their children safe online.

“Our lives have gone digital, and children are pioneers in this space,” said Marianne Clark-Hattingh, the Unicef representative in Malaysia.

“Our challenge today is to help children be aware of the risks whilst reaping the benefits that the Internet has to offer, by mediating rather than restricting access.

“Parents themselves may unintentionally expose their children to harm online by not fully understanding the risks themselves,” she said.

“It is therefore crucial that they too are aware of the risks and know where to get the right information,” she added.

The statement was issued following a town hall session for parents on child online protection organised by Unicef in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

The event was held in conjunction with Safer Internet Day and the launch of Unicef’s publication titled “State of the World’s Children 2017: Children in a digital world” (SOWC 2017).

The report covered the benefits digital technology could offer to children while examining how the internet increased children’s vulnerability to risks such as the misuse of private information, access to harmful content and cyber-bullying.

Unicef also noted that Malaysia passed the Sexual Offences against Children Act 2017 last year, providing a legal framework over new offences such as online grooming and child pornography. - FMT

Cops launch unit to guard against online child predators

NATION
Friday, 9 Feb 2018
8:19 PM MYT
by m. kumar

KUALA LUMPUR: The police took another vital step towards safeguarding children from predators by launching the Malaysia Internet Crime Against Children Investigation Unit (Micac).

The unit, which will be under the purview of the Bukit Aman Sexual, Women and Child Investigation Division (D11), will oversee all Internet-related mediums of communication used by predators to upload, share and promote child pornography or the targeting of children.

Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department director Comm Datuk Seri Wan Ahmad Najmuddin Mohd said it was high time the unit was formed to help protect innocent children from sexual predators.

“We can not deny the fact that the Internet holds tremendous potential for our nation’s youth and children.

“However, the misuse of the Internet to prey on them is a serious problem,” he said in a speech at the launch ceremony in Bukit Aman on Friday.

Comm Wan Ahmad Najmuddin cited multiple cases of paedophiles and other sex offenders in past years, including that of Richard Huckle, the British paedophile who was arrested in 2015 for preying on hundreds of children in Malaysia.

“There are many more examples of child sexual exploitation cases. Hence the idea of setting up Micac,” he said.

D11 principal assistant director Asst Comm Ong Chin Lan said that while the unit was officially launched now, her department has been actively monitoring and searching for child sexual predators online since 2014.

“The set-up of this unit is the next step in keeping our children safe,” she said.

The formation of the unit also saw liaison officers from foreign law enforcement agencies, like the Australian Federal Police, US Federal Bureau of Investigation, and US Homeland Security Department come forward to share information and brief Micac officers. - The Star Online"

N.37 LET BUKIT LANJAN SOAR WITH SYED ABDUL RAZAK ALSAGOFF