BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

AS CYBER-BULLYING also happens in the Sultanate, the Brunei Computer Emergency Response Team (BruCert) advised parents to monitor and reduce their children’s online activities.

Muhd Hijan Hj Amiran and Ak Mohd Farid Zulhusni Pg Aziz, netwrok and system engineers of BruCert, issued the advise during the “Keeping Your Children Safe Online” talk held at the hall of the Primary School Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah (YSHHB).

Throughout the talk, the invited BruCert presenters equipped the parents with knowledge in ensuring that their children are safe from the dangers of the internet.

In an interview with The Brunei Times, Ak Mohd Farid cited the importance of parents monitoring their children on social media networks. “Some children are not aware of the dangers of social media. They could post or share something that may lead to cyber-bullying or blackmailing,” he said.

One of the solutions highlighted was to ensure that the children are not overly attached with the Internet and technologies, to prevent the children from becoming a victim of cyber-bullying and blackmailing. “Parents must speak to their children face-to-face and tell them not to become too attached to technologies,”Ak Mohd Farid said.

During Muhd Hijan Hj Amiran’s presentation for the parents, he noted that being attached to technology could have a negative effect to people, such as lack of awareness, fatigue and more.

Siti Marzianahyati Sajali, a mother of a three-year-old boy, said that she has taken precautionary actions to reduce her son, Muhd Haikal Hayyan @ Rayyan, from getting attached to technological devices. “I usually try to distract him away from the devices, or let him play the devices until the battery runs out,” she said.

She noted that her son is not old enough to understand the dangers of the internet, and she planned to educate Muhd Haikal slowly once he turns five years old.

“I am very happy and supportive of what BruCert is doing, because the awareness needs to be highlighted to reduce the negative impact for the future of the children,” Siti Marzianahyati said. Md Raymie Othman, a father of two children, said that he often take the technological devices away from the children to prevent them from becoming attached.

“I give them a time-out from using devices, especially when they are spending too much time on them and not interacting with others,” he said. Md Raymie also hopes to educate his children about cyber security when they are old enough to understand. “It is very important for my children and other children to learn about cyber security, to ensure they are safe from all the dangers,” he said.

He believes that the responsibility of educating the youth on cyber security is for both teachers and parents. “Everyone has a part to do to educate the youth. All of us have to become role models for the children to look up to,” Md Raymie said.

The Brunei Times