As of December 2017, statistics say there are over 60 million internet users in the country, 52.2 million of whom — approximately half of the country’s population — are mobile internet users who spend about 3.36 hours using the Internet every single day.
Likewise, data from a Philippine National Police report revealed that half of the Internet users are adolescents aged 17 years old and younger.
In a news dated Feb. 7, Globe Telecom, Facebook, and the Department of Education joined hands to promote responsible digital citizenship among teachers and students in public and private schools across the country under the Digital Thumbprint Program.
It’s a laudable undertaking especially that 56 percent of kids 8-12 years old worldwide who go online are exposed to various types of cyber threats. Another study focusing on the Philippine internet situation indicate that 73 percent of children in the same age bracket are exposed to cyber risks, the second highest in a study among 29 countries.
Threats such as exposure to cyberbullying, video game addiction, online grooming, online sexual behavior, and digital misinformation are cited as the prevailing cyber risks in the Philippines.
As online usage increases in the country, so does the level of risks for users whenever they are online, which calls for more protection by advocating responsible digital citizenship, including critical thinking when online, plus protection against piracy and abuse.
I hope the DepEd’s Digital Thumbprint Program will be taken seriously here in Dumaguete, in coordination with Globe and Facebook. Our children and teenagers need to be taught how to think critically online, and effectively identify credible from questionable information, know how to verify and examine online sources, and identify fact from opinion.
According to Education Undersecretary for Legislative Affairs, External Partnerships & School Sports Tonisito Umali, “The internet undeniably plays a large role in the lives of our youth and students today to the extent that it seems impossible to restrain them from internet usage. What we can do is to teach them how to use it properly. It is our Department’s responsibility to educate them to wisely use the internet because this is exactly how we produce individuals who are responsible and critical enough to know the perfect time and way to consult the internet. This is how we raise well-informed and insightful citizens.”
I believe that digital literacy is vital to constructing well-informed and meaningful communities. As we know, from an early age, our children are able to access social media through personal mobile phones. Thus, before they start actively engaging in social media or owing their mobile phone, we need to empower them with digital citizenship skills to lessen cyber-risks and exploit the gains of technology.
When this project will be initiated here, I hope it will also educate even the adults on how we can correctly recognize when information is intended as wit, done with sarcasm, or intentionally crafted as false.
Most importantly, it should cover and emphasize the value of empathy as a key factor in expressing ourselves online, with the goal of creating not just a safer and informed community but also one that embraces diverse perspectives and respects differences of opinion.
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