Nigeria joined other member states of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to celebrate Safer Internet Day (#SID2016) aimed at encouraging safe and responsible use of the internet among children and young people. The theme for this year’s celebration was ‘Play your part for a better Internet’.
Safer Internet Day 2016 highlighted the role that stakeholders should play in ensuring the internet is safe for children to play and learn.
Houlin Zhao, Secretary General of ITU said: “The Internet is an indispensable educational and social tool for children, with digital literacy fast becoming a necessary skill in the information society. However, though an unprecedented level of services and information is available online, we need to recognize and mitigate against the dangers that the online world can pose for children. We must constantly strive to create an online environment that encourages positive creativity, empowerment and participation while ensuring the safe and secure use of the Internet by those most vulnerable.”
According to him, more children are using the internet and at an increasingly young age, with 53 per cent of children aged 3-4 years (in the UK) already accessing the internet via tablet devices. Some markets are already reaching saturation, with nearly 100 per cent Internet penetration among children in northern Europe.
“Moreover, 30 per cent of the world’s youth are now classified as ‘digital natives’, defined as those aged 15-24 with five or more years of experience online. A full 60 per cent of global youth will be classed as digital natives by 2018,” he said.
He added that the increased access to the Internet means it’s ever more important to be aware of, and guard against, the potential dangers faced by young people online, whether the risk comes from grooming, online bullying, being exposed to inappropriate sexual content or the misuse and theft of personal data.
