Safer Internet Day celebrated at Sapthagiri high school
KARIMNAGAR: Sapthagiri English Medium High school in Karimnagar celebrated the “Safer Internet Day’ to create awareness among the student community on cyber crimes and other online issues on Wednesday (February 8, 2023).
On this occasion, the students made presentation on the importance of following the precautions to check cyber and online frauds, safety of passwords etc. They empowered the students on emerging online issues and safety measures to be adopted.
Speaking on the occasion, school principal Anitha Reddy said that the Internet has truly transformed how young people learn, socialise and communicate today, but the pressure to share intimate images, rising cases of cyberbullying and cyber scams, exposure to content that may promote self-harm, anorexia etc., make the youth more vulnerable and puts them at a greater risk.
She said that the majority of young people today use smartphones for everything. Numerous apps are downloaded every day, thereby exposing sensitive personal information. With the boom in online shopping, financial information is knowingly or unknowingly shared to make online payments and thereby increasing the risk of sharing sensitive data, she added.
Students, especially those in high school and colleges, rely heavily on the Internet for their projects. Every time they open a link, pop-ups and links to unsafe websites appear. Clicking on these can lead to malware that can damage their devices and steal critical personal information.
Moreover, online scams in the form of contests, discounts, and free goodies, trick youngsters into sharing personal information, thereby leading to a risk of identity theft.
Apart from this, online grooming, cyberbullying and peer pressure, online social abuse and exploitation, and fatal online challenges such as the Blue Whale Challenge, which claimed over hundred lives across the world, are constant threats.
Safe Internet Day (February 9) offers a great opportunity to empower young people and make the Internet a safer and better place. Leaders, mentors, educationists, parents and guardians need to intervene and get involved, she maintained.
