Efforts to protect and support children's interactions online

Recently, we had the opportunity to attend the ??? lesson of the senior kindergarten class, Sin Ho Town Kindergarten (Sin Ho District). When the teacher asked the students if anyone knew what “TikTok” was, many little hands raised. Some even knew how to record clips, add music, and “like” their friends. But when the teacher asked “What would you do if a stranger texted you or gave you a lot of food?”, many students hesitated and shook their heads.

Children in the older kindergarten class of Sin Ho town kindergarten are oriented to information when participating in the internet.

In the digital age, cyberspace is becoming familiar to children. With their parents’ smartphones, they can study, entertain, and connect, but at the same time, they are also facing many risks: being scammed, having their information violated, accessing harmful content, or becoming victims of bad actors online…

Ms. Pham Thi Kim Nhung - Vice Principal of Sin Ho Town Kindergarten shared that, identifying the protection of children in cyberspace as an important task that requires the support of the whole society, the school has always paid attentionto educating and protecting children from the dangers of cyberspace. The school closely coordinates with parents to guide children in using technology devices safely and appropriately for their age. Teachers integrate life skills education, skills to recognize and avoid harmful information into daily activities. The school also builds a propaganda corner, distributes leaflets, and organizes thematic activities on preventing abuse and protecting children in the digital environment. Thereby, contributing to building a healthy and safe online environment for children from preschool age.

Computer and life skills lesson of teacher and child at Sin Ho town kindergarten.

According to statistics from the authorities, in 2024, the Provincial Police promptly prevented 3 students (born in 2010) in Tan Uyen district from being lured by a stranger on Facebook to go to Bac Ninh to work for hire; successfully broke up a case of disseminating obscene cultural products related to children. In order to raise awareness among students and parents, functional units have promoted extensive propaganda of the Party's policies and resolutions, policies and laws of the State related to information security in the network environment, on digital transformation, digital economy, digital society, digital citizens. The Provincial People's Committee assigned the Department of Education and Training to promote propaganda, education, actively develop and manage political and ideological education information pages for students in the network environment...

Up to now, 100% of schools have built columns, images, video clips to propagate and educate students on political ideology on social networks via Facebook pages, Websites, Emails, telephones, telecommunication messages... Propaganda and digital skills education for children are carried out through forums and communication sessions at schools and communities. Propaganda content focuses on how to recognize online abuse, protect personal information, behave civilly, prevent fake news... which are vividly integrated into flag-raising ceremonies, after-school activities, and team activities.

Most school units in the province have built and developed information pages and groups on social networks for students; connecting propaganda and educational information between the school's information page with the information pages of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and groups and forums on social networks with a large number of students of the school participating. Building and perfecting the communication system between educational institutions and students and their families via the Internet, social networks and other forms of communication such as: Email, telephone, telecommunication messages (electronic contact books). Building a coordination mechanism between school units and functional agencies, students' families to grasp the ideological situation of students in the online environment, promptly handling arising issues.

Press agencies in the province regularly produce news articles and reports to propagate the Law on Children, related legal documents and activities to protect and support children to interact healthily and creatively on the internet with a close and vivid expression. In particular, the Provincial Police presided over and coordinated with relevant agencies, departments and branches to propagate 18 sessions at educational institutions, with the participation of 8,469 students and teachers. Propaganda in residential areas: 9 sessions, with 4,100 participants; deploying 4 models of preventing crimes against children (provincial level: 2; district level: 2). The Provincial Police are managing and using 1 model of "Friendly Investigation Department".

From the 2021-2022 school year up to now, the Youth Union of the whole province has built 117 fanpages, 119 facebook pages, with over 50,000 followers, effectively maintaining the Fanpage "Lai Chau Youth" to regularly post important and outstanding news of the Party, the State, the province and the Youth Union and the Young Pioneers at all levels... In addition, the Youth Union and the Young Pioneers from the provincial to grassroots levels have deployed propaganda, fully implemented the regulations, mechanisms and policies of the province and the central government on protecting, educating and supporting children to interact healthily in the online environment; effectively implementing the Campaign "One good news every day, one beautiful story every week"...

In order to improve law enforcement capacity, the Provincial Youth Union also coordinated with Plan International to organize a training course on "Safety in cyberspace" skills for 40 members of the Lai Chau Provincial Children's Council. Organized 7 sessions of the Lai Chau Provincial Children's Council. Organized for members of the Provincial Children's Council to collect information with more than 2,000 ballots and communicate on "Prevention of child abuse in cyberspace" for more than 700 students at Muong Than Secondary School, Than Uyen District. Organized 2 conferences of National Assembly and Provincial People's Council delegates to meet and dialogue with children. The conference was an opportunity for delegates of the Provincial People's Council, leaders of provincial departments, branches and sectors to listen, absorb and answer questions under their authority. Organized for children to participate in 2 mock sessions of the "Children's National Assembly". Organize a mock People's Council meeting for 260 child delegates in the province, including 50 children playing the role of provincial People's Council delegates and key leaders of the People's Council, People's Committee, leaders of provincial departments, branches and sectors to participate in the mock People's Council meeting to discuss the topics of "Promoting children's right to participate in children's issues" and "Reducing child marriage, incestuous marriage", "preventing and combating child abuse in cyberspace"...

Lai Chau’s efforts have been gradually creating a “green belt” in cyberspace for children. In the coming time, the province will continue to direct the building of a safe – friendly – creative digital environment for the young generation, contributing to the formation of a generation of digital citizens with a sense of responsibility, ethics and courage in the digital age.

Source: https://baolaichau.vn/xa-hoi/no-luc-bao-ve-ho-tro-tre-em-tuong-tac-tren-moi-truong-mang-670301