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89% Indians believe schools should educate children on online safety

  •   Tue, Aug 17 2021 03:08:51 PM

New Delhi, Aug 17 (IANS): With the pandemic forcing many schools and educational institutions to find online alternatives, 89 per cent people in India believe that schools should educate children on cyber safety, according to a study by McAfee released on Tuesday.

Of these, 62 per cent believe that digital wellness and protection should have its own separate curriculum that is taught throughout grade school while 27 per cent feel it should be integrated into technology subjects like IT.

Further, 81 per cent of the people in India said that since last year, at least one member in their household started either full time or part time online learning via virtual platforms.

Of these 24 per cent learners fall between the age group 5-12, and 9 per cent even under the age of 5.

"With students as well as teachers now operating from lesser controlled environments, the need to educate them on basics such as phishing, cyberbullying, and inculcating overall cybersecurity hygiene is imperative. Educational institutions must approach cybersecurity holistically, particularly now that technology pervades nearly every facet of a child's life," said Judith Bitterli, senior vice president of Consumer at McAfee, in a statement.

"As technology has transformed the educational sector, cybersecurity too must be part of the school curriculum, and entrenched in the way we teach, and the way we learn," she added.

To stay safe, one must scrutinise the email/text before replying; maximise privacy settings on all social profiles and engage in safe social networking; use a VPN when children are accessing online learning services from home to protect the privacy of the Internet connection with bank-level encryption to stop hackers stealing personal information like passwords or data, McAfee advised.

Children must also be educated about fake news, how to spot a phishing scam, make strong, complex passwords, among others.

For the study, McAfee commissioned MSI International to conduct a survey of over 1,000 adults in India in April 2021, aged 18-75.

 
  

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Comment on this article

  • Joel, Mangalore

    Tue, Aug 17 2021

    Parents who themselves know nothing about internet are forcing their childrens to learn online. These parents are probably high class people who anyway don't care about their children or about their education. They just send them to schools to get a status in society

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  • Shaina D'silva, Udupi/Bangalore

    Tue, Aug 17 2021

    Not just our young generation but also the older generation who have just started entering the online world. We may pretend that the older you are, the more wise you are. But that's not true. We are only wise with things we know. And sometimes, common sense goes out the window when something exciting approaches. Where do you think all these married women who are having affairs are meeting guys? It is through online. So it is not only important for children but also adults who are new to the online world. Because that way, they will automatically educate their children as well and they will be able to keep an eye on their children without ruining the parent-child relationship as is the case in most households these days. Kids feel their privacy is being compromised with their parents being snooty and parents feel they know nothing about their child even if they are snooty. Online education is needed for everyone.

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  • Asha Rodrigues, Mangalore

    Tue, Aug 17 2021

    I agree. What are you going to teach your kids if you don't know about online security yourself.

    DisAgree Agree [2] Reply Report Abuse

  • James Mathias, India

    Tue, Aug 17 2021

    That is exactly right. Parents need to evolve their understanding as time goes on. Just telling the kids what is safe and what is not will not always save them from the cruel reality of the online world. One needs to understand why children fall prey first because it is not always about children being immature and making bad decisions. Children also have the urge to fit in, the rush of falling in 'love', the need to have max friends/followers. Parents can't just say it is not important and expect children to understand. Education needs to be had by the adults as well, parents and teachers as well as to why children fall prey.

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