Children need protection from online threats: Ministry official

MUSCAT: Children need to be protected from the dangers of the internet, so that they can harness all its benefits for personal growth and development, said a top official of Oman’s Ministry of Social Development.

“It is important for children to benefit from the technology revolution, but societies need to provide the necessary protection systems and rationalise their use to avoid health, moral, psychological and social effects on the children,” stated Dr Yahya Al Mawali, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Social Development, who added that Oman was taking steps to ensure children could access a safer web.

“Through the promulgation of the Child’s Law and its commitment to the Convention of the Rights of the Child, as well as the adoption of the Social Action Strategy (2015-2025), which is one of the most important themes for the protection of the child, the Sultanate of Oman had made sure of providing children with health, education, welfare and social services, which would ensure an adequate and safe environment for them to grow in,” he added. “This has been achieved under the wise leadership of His Majesty the Sultan and the governments’ plans to protect children.”

Annual report

Al Mawali was speaking on the occasion of the release of UNICEF’s annual report on the dangers youth face online, titled ‘The State of the World’s Children 2017 – Children in a Digital World’.

The report explores the benefits digital technology can offer disadvantaged children, including those growing up in poverty or affected by humanitarian emergencies. These include in- creasing their access to information, building skills for the digital workplace, as well as giving them a platform to connect and communicate their views, amplifying their voices and making their stories known.

It presents current data and analysis about children’s online usage and the impact of digital technology on children’s wellbeing, exploring growing debates about digital “addiction” and the possible effect of screen time on the brain development. It also examines how the internet increases children’s vulnerability to risks and harms, including misuse of their private information, access to harmful content and cyberbullying.

Lana Al Wreikat, UNICEF’s representative to Oman, also stressed the need for young people to have a safe online world to explore. Full story @ timesofoman.com/oman