Strengthening protection and support for children to interact healthily and creatively in the online environment

A training course for reporters and editors of press agencies on the issue of protecting and supporting children to interact healthily and creatively on the internet, organized by the Press Department (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) on November 18, in Hanoi, helps to increase the effectiveness of propaganda on child protection in the current digital age.

This is an activity to implement the content and tasks of the Program "Protecting and supporting children to interact healthily and creatively in the online environment for the period 2021 - 2025" approved by the Prime Minister on June 1, 2021 in Decision 830/QD-TTg.

Deputy Director of the Press Department Mai Huong Giang opened the training course. Photo: Thuy Du

Speaking at the opening of the training course, Deputy Director of the Press Department Mai Huong Giang said that in the context of information on cyberspace increasingly affecting all aspects of social life, in addition to opportunities for learning, creativity and connection, the young generation, especially children, are facing many risks such as online bullying, abuse, fraud, access to harmful content... These risks seriously affect the psychology, health and comprehensive development of children.

According to Ms. Mai Huong Giang, among children aged 12-17 using the Internet, up to 87% are online every day, but only 36% of them know how to ensure information security online. Data from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC, USA) shows that in 2023, there were about more than 500,000 reports related to images/ videos of child sexual abuse online related to Vietnam; this number puts our country in the group most affected in the region.

According to the United Nations Children's Fund - UNICEF, up to 66% of Vietnamese children said they did not know about help lines for cyberbullying, and the 10-14 age group is the most vulnerable to online bullying.

Speaker Le Thi Mai Quyen, National Child Protection Hotline (No. 111) presented. Photo: Thuy Du

The Vietnam Children's Cyber ​​Protection Club has reported that up to 40% of children feel unsafe, more than 70% have had unwanted experiences when using the Internet, and 1% (approximately more than 94,000) of Internet users aged 12-17 in Vietnam are victims of online sexual exploitation and abuse...

Statistics from the Department of Cyber ​​Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention – A05 ( Ministry of Public Security ) show that more than 77% of Vietnamese children and adolescents access the Internet every day. In the first 6 months of 2025 alone, authorities recorded dozens of cases of online fraud, seduction, psychological manipulation and kidnapping involving children and students. Many victims were forced to cut off contact with their families, and were remotely controlled for the purpose of blackmail or human trafficking.

The Deputy Director of the Press Department said that in recent years, many propaganda campaigns and activities to raise awareness about preventing cyber abuse against children have been strongly implemented. The United Nations Convention against Cybercrime (Hanoi Convention) was opened for signing in Vietnam on October 25 and 26, 2025, demonstrating global efforts in preventing and combating cybercrime, including protecting vulnerable groups. The campaigns "Not alone", "Slow but sure" and many others have brought about widespread propaganda effects, raising awareness among students, parents, schools and the community.

Speaker Dinh Thi Nhu Hoa, Center 2 - Department of Cyber ​​Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention and Control presented. Photo: Thuy Du

Emphasizing the role of the press and media in child protection, the Deputy Director of the Press Department said that the training course is an opportunity to exchange experiences, update information, and share practical lessons to improve the quality of propaganda work on child protection in cyberspace, a task that is both deeply humane and an urgent requirement in the current context.

The training course took place on November 18 with 2 topics. Topic 1 "Current status of child protection issues in the online environment and campaigns to improve digital capacity for children", speaker Le Thi Mai Quyen, National Child Protection Hotline (No. 111) - Department of Mothers and Children (Ministry of Health) presented the current situation of children using the Internet, the risks when children use the Internet, online kidnapping tricks targeting children, the "key" to avoid being exploited online and the role of family, school, and society in protecting children.

Topic 2 "Identifying technological risks and enhancing child protection in the digital age", speaker Dinh Thi Nhu Hoa, Center 2 - Department of Cyber ​​Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention (Ministry of Public Security) shared about the current situation of crimes in cyberspace, the issue of safe activities in cyberspace, especially for children and measures for the press and media to protect and support children to interact healthily and creatively in the online environment.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/tang-cuong-bao-ve-va-ho-tro-tre-em-tuong-tac-lanh-manh-sang-tao-tren-moi-truong-mang-723732.html