Why is Internet addiction in light of the pandemic a threat to young people?
Sahar Al-Sunbati, Secretary-General of the National Council for Motherhood and Childhood, said that Egypt launched several campaigns aimed at curbing the misuse of the Internet, most notably the Amani.com campaign in partnership with the European Union and UNICEF in Egypt. Al-Sunbati confirms in an interview with Sky News Arabia that the campaign has taken new dimensions in light of the continuation of the Corona pandemic, and the increasing reliance on the Internet on the part of children for study and entertainment, explaining that awareness campaigns are important, but they need the concerted efforts of all parties concerned with besieging this phenomenon, such as the family. and society. According to UNICEF statistics, more than 175,000 children use the Internet for the first time every day, with a new child every half second. The organization concerned with children warned that despite the many opportunities and benefits that the Internet provides for children, especially after using digital platforms to provide educational content, the Internet also exposes them to a range of risks and damages, including exposure to hate speech and bullying. Internet risks  Abdel-Fattah Darwish, a professor of psychology at Menoufia University and a psychological consultant, says that the negative effects of excessive and erroneous use of the Internet by children are the access to harmful digital content, cyberbullying and sexual exploitation, and the misuse of childrens personal information. In an interview with Sky News Arabia, Darwish added that there is a spread of cybercrime with the increase in the number of Internet users in Egypt, and thus it has become easy for professionals to hack websites to obtain personal information about some and exploit it in fraud in illegal ways. The psychological consultant continues that fraudsters can carry out criminal acts through websites without fear of any censorship, and in the absence of sufficient legislation criminalizing such practices with deterrent penalties. And about the dangers of addiction to the Internet, especially electronic games, Darwish explains that some of these games aim in their design to connect the child to the stage of game addiction, which causes his psyche to be destroyed without feeling, as well as a significant waste of time. The professor of psychology explains that there is a very serious matter that threatens children who are addicted to the Internet, which is the possibility of them being subjected to sexual and material blackmail, by publishing indecent and unacceptable materials directed at them and allowing adolescents to easily access them to influence their morals. secure internet  Sahar Al-Sunbati, Secretary-General of the National Council for Motherhood and Childhood, told Sky News Arabia that campaigns to protect children from the dangers of the Internet aim to raise awareness among children, parents and caregivers. Al-Sunbati added that the campaigns of the National Council for Motherhood and Childhood include measures and measures to protect children and youth from new threats they may face in the online world, such as exposure to harmful content or abuse. It points out that there are means to report these crimes, through the child helpline number 16000 or the official page of the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood, and to respond quickly to the complaints received. The leadership in the field of childhood advises to follow several important rules in dealing with children and adolescents with the Internet, including awareness of the purpose of using the Internet and new technological devices as part of life and not the whole life. family rules  Al-Sunbati explains that the family should set rules to manage the time used in using electronic devices and accessing the Internet, educating children that not everything they see online is real, and encouraging them to talk and ask about what confuses them while they follow websites. Another factor remains to protect children from the Internet, which, according to the Egyptian official, is introducing them to the concept of personal space represented in private account data and passwords, and not accepting virtual friendships of unknown people. In the event of violence or bullying, parents must be informed first and then the relevant authorities if necessary. She points out that parents have a big role in noticing the symptoms that appear on their children as a result of bad and excessive use of the Internet. Among these symptoms, according to Al-Sonbati, is the change in childrens personal interaction with family members inside the house, and their resort to isolation, nervous disease, loss of appetite, or a strong appetite for food that causes obesity. In this case, the family must intervene and save the child by various means. Awareness campaigns  Al-Sonbaty confirms that the Amani.com campaign, in cooperation with UNICEF, focuses on raising awareness of the dangers of electronic games and social networking sites on children in Egypt. She adds that there are 12 million children who use social networking sites out of 50 million who use the Internet, and the first stage of the awareness campaign will be through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.