In conjunction with the recent Safer Internet Day 2019, Digi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd (Digi) has committed to promote safe internet practices to all Malaysians.
In line with this year’s theme, Together for Better Internet, Digi will feature an exclusive full series of Public Service Announcement (PSA) videos across 30 Digi Stores nationwide on 14 and 15 February, and followed by related materials on safe internet to be shared across its social media platforms.
To date, through the various programmes organised under its Yellow Heart initiative with various partners, Digi claims that it has reached out to more than 650,000 children across the nation. Digi’s ambition is to connect to at least 1 million children by end of year 2020.
Philip Ling, Digi’s Head of Sustainability said as much as the internet opens up more avenues for people to connect and socialise with old friends and new acquaintances, it is the responsibility of all to be able to discern between what are of use and those that posed potential risks. They must be able to avoid from putting themselves in a vulnerable position through their digital footprint, and to constantly be aware that not everyone will love and like what are shared and posted online.
“Digi is obsessed with our vision to create a safer internet experience for all and at the same time strengthen the digital resilience skills for all Malaysians against online dangers. We are hoping that having the awareness and the right knowledge will empower more parents to have an active role in their children’s online experience, including the ability to identify the multiple types of cyber risks. Hence, the decision to showcase all of our Yellow Heart educational PSA videos in our retail stores for these two days, on top of other activities to be carried out via our social media channels,” said Philip.
According to a survey by We Are Social, Malaysia is ranked fourth globally and made the top spot in Southeast Asia for mobile social media penetration, with 75% of the population being active social media users last year. The same study revealed that Malaysians spent an average of 8 hours on the internet daily, with at least 3 hours on social media.
This also correlates with the results of Digi’s latest online safety survey, Digi Yellow Heart Cyberbullying and Youth Disposition Survey to understand how youth stay safe online and to gain a more in depth look at cyberbullying. The 10-month long survey revealed that 20% of youth in Malaysia attested to being bullied online for more than a year, and at least 42% knew of someone who had undergone the same experience. However, on a positive note, the survey also showed an overall increase in awareness among youths towards digital resilience and they demonstrated the ability to stop or mitigate the issue.
“There is still much that needs to be done to ensure that the youths in our country today are equipped with the sufficient skills and knowledge to be resilient in the face of the fourth industrial revolution where technology will be disruptive and when the internet and smartphone becomes all-pervasive in our lives. On that note, we would like to call all parties to come together and do our part in creating a better, safer internet for the generation to come” added Philip.
