Hanoi (VNA) – Relevant organisations and agencies should joinhands to create a safe internet environment for children, said Deputy Ministerof Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Hong Lan.

Lan made the remarks at a ceremony held in Hanoi on December 12 to release theUnited Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)’s annual report “State of the World’sChildren 2017: Children in a Digital World”.

She noted that it is necessary to equip children with necessary skills toaccess to a safe internet environment and children should be put in the centre whenbuilding digital policies.

Meanwhile, Youssouf Abdel-Jelil, UNICEF Representative in Vietnam,said that digital technology can make a life change for children who are leftbehind, particularly disable and ethnic kids and those living in disadvantagedareas.

Online protection does not mean to control children’s internet use but protecttheir safety, he highlighted, adding that the Government need to closely workwith the private sector to safeguard children, especially disadvantaged kids.

The UNICEF’s flagship report stated that despite children’smassive online presence – 1 in 3 internet users worldwide is a child – toolittle is done to protect them from the perils of the digital world and toincrease their access to safe online content.

The report explores the benefits digital technology can offer the mostdisadvantaged children, including those growing up in poverty or affected byhumanitarian emergencies. These include increasing their access to information,building skills for the digital workplace, and giving them a platform toconnect and communicate their views.

However, millions of children are missing out, the report said.Around one third of the world’s youths – 346 million – are not online,exacerbating inequities and reducing children’s ability to participate in anincreasingly digital economy.

The report examines how the internet increases children’svulnerability to risks and harms, including misuse of their privateinformation, access to harmful content, and cyber bullying. The ubiquitouspresence of mobile devices, the report notes, has made online access for manychildren less supervised – and potentially more dangerous.
Furthermore, it alsorecommended that policies need to facilitate internet access for children,protect them from online threats like abuse, human trafficking and onlinebullying, and safeguard their privacy and identities.

Officially connected to the Internet in 1997, Vietnam had 64 million internetusers as of June 2017, accounting for 67 percent of the total population.Social media has been popularized with 64 million Facebookers, most of whom arechildren and teenagers.-VNA