Safer Internet Day Youth Conference

05 Feb 2013

Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Students,
Good afternoon.

1. Let me start by thanking all of you for taking time from school and from work to join us at Singapore’s first ever Safer Internet Day. So, what is Safer Internet Day? It started in Europe in 2004 as a way to promote safe and responsible use of the Internet and mobile technology by children and young adults. Every year, there is a different theme. This year, the focus is “Online Rights and Responsibilities – Connect with Respect,” a theme which reflects global concerns that perhaps, it is time to seriously reflect on what it means to be a digital citizen. In its 10th year, Safer Internet Day is today observed by about 100 countries worldwide. The Media Literacy Council intends to make Safer Internet Day an annual fixture in Singapore to remind us that everyone has a part to play to make cyber space safe, fun and good for all.

2. As you may already know, Singapore is one of the world’s most wired and connected nations. The 2012 Norton Survey said that Singaporeans spend an average of 66 hours online per week. That’s more than the time spent sleeping each week, assuming you sleep eight hours a day. Everywhere we go, on the train, in the bus, waiting for friends, we see people, especially young people like most of you here, glued to your smart phone or iPad.

3. You are the digital natives. You grew up knowing exactly what button to push, what tab to slide and how to make 500 friends online. When I was young, my parents would warn me not to talk to or accept lifts from strangers because there were bad people out there. I am sure that many parents today do not know how to warn their kids about the dangers online because these parents, my generation, probably don’t have enough knowledge of what the risks are as they didn’t grow up in a digital world. Even if they do, you might think that you know better because after all, you are the digital native.

4. So to help us better understand what you, the digital native, thinks about the online world, we informally polled some 300 tertiary students a few months ago from various institutions in Singapore and talked to youth workers, teachers and parents. While our poll results should not be generalized to the population at large, they do help us understand the digital native a little better.

5. On a positive note, we found out that most young people are technologically savvy, care about your online reputation and care that the content you create should not get anyone into trouble or hurt them. On the other hand, I’m not sure if I should feel heartened or concerned that a minority, about 16%, indicated that they would share, forward or retweet information, whether true or not, as long as it is funny or sensational.

6. The existence of this minority explains why insensitive and inappropriate content is uploaded on the internet without consideration for the feelings of others. Just last week there was such an incident. Some things might be sensational, but we should always respect the privacy of individuals, and show respect and sensitivity. The ‘golden rule’ in life to act as you would like others to act towards you is equally applicable in the online space.

7. In our poll, many young people were also concerned about whether the content they created could potentially be against the law, or be used against them in future. The quick answer is that nothing is really private on the Internet, and whatever goes online tends to stay online. But the more important lesson is to do what is right, and not just what is legal. As such, post and share your creations and thoughts online, only if you would do the same in real life.

8. I also learnt something new from our focus group discussions with the youth workers and counsellors. They observed that there is a “culture of disrespect” growing in our online society today. These counsellors felt that under the guise of anonymity and an inflated sense of empowerment, an increasing number of internet users have no qualms about using vulgarities, and to attack or flame other users online.

9. This was confirmed by another group of youth workers who highlighted the rise of online vigilantes and cyber-lynching amongst our youths. These online vigilantes take it upon themselves to stalk and punish other Internet users for perceived wrong doings based on photos, articles or even private comments posted on social media websites. They trawl the Internet for all personal information on that person and spread it on all available platforms to garner support for “punishment” to be meted out.

10. While the comments or behaviour which provoke such online lynching or flaming may be inappropriate, I think most of us will agree that one wrong does not justify another. It is wrong to make malicious personal attacks on an individual and sometimes also on their innocent family and friends. We may have the best of intentions to right a wrong, but as in real-life, we also have a choice of how we can do so. Just as we do not resolve conflicts with bullying or violence, we shouldn’t resort to such tactics online. By all means express disapproval when something inappropriate is done online but be mindful also of the appropriateness of the response.

11. Given that there are always people who will do stupid or insensitive things online, there have been occasional calls for something to be done, for example, calls for more regulation of cyber space. Today, some laws already apply online, especially those related to postings intended to cause conflict or ill-will amongst the different races and religions, or postings that incite violence or criminal intimidation. But it would be impossible to regulate the many instances of insensitive, callous and stupid remarks that are often made in anger or frustration or simply in jest.

12. If not regulation, some people have called for an internet code of conduct to guide the behaviour of netizens. Your school may have just such a code listing broad principles or dos and don’ts or what constitutes good practices online. Increasingly, companies are also creating their own online code of conduct which they call social media policies. I think such codes are helpful to some extent in setting behavioural norms, and should be encouraged, but ultimately, it is up to the individual to choose to do the right thing, whether or not there is a code of conduct.

13. Is there a third way then to build a more responsible internet? I think so, and that way is public education. This is the Council’s primary approach and the Council’s message is simple, and can be summarized in three key principles, which I hope resonate with all of you here today: First, recognize that your online actions have offline consequences, whether to yourself or others. Second, don’t do what you would not want others to do to you – remember the values that your parents taught you – integrity, responsibility, respect, tolerance and empathy. These values hold well, whether offline or online. And third, exercise judgement and critical thinking when consuming information and interacting online, just as you may not accept everything you are told in the real world.

14. After all, the digital world is a parallel world; and if we have values and social norms to guide us in the physical world, how much more crucial would it be for us to be guided by values and best practices in a digital world where the effects are amplified.

15. How will we promote values and best practices? There are many initiatives being planned and I will just mention some. I am pleased to announce the launch of the Council’s Media Literacy Badge programme. This activity-based programme aims to encourage hands-on learning and practical applications of media literacy skills and cyber wellness principles. I am very happy to say that we are developing the programme with the Singapore Cyber Sports and Gaming Association or SCOGA and that the Boys Brigade will be rolling out the programme. Besides the practical skills and concepts, the programme will be infused with the core values of the BB so that the boys can exemplify what it means to be a BB offline and online. We piloted the programme with thirty-three Primary 5 boys at Fairfield Methodist Primary School just two weeks ago, and I heard that the students had a fun and meaningful time. By April, the programme would have been fine-tuned and rolled out to all 2,400 junior boys in forty-four primary schools, while another 4,000 secondary boys will go through the programme by the end of the year. We hope to introduce the Badge programme to more uniformed groups progressively.

16. A second thing which the Council hopes to introduce this year is a grant programme to encourage students to turn their school projects on social media into reality. For example, the Council received a proposal some time ago from a group of students who wanted to promote awareness about online dating scams. The students wanted our feedback on the feasibility of their proposal although it was meant to be an academic exercise. We also got a proposal from a different group of students on how they thought they could help tackle the issue of online gaming addiction. That got the Council thinking that perhaps, if we are able to provide modest grants, we may be able to encourage and support students to turn some of these worthwhile projects into reality and be implemented to benefit the targeted communities. We are still working through the criteria and mechanism for operating such a grant programme. But the idea is really to empower our youths, the very people who are living the digital life, to bring about solutions based on their knowledge and experience of the issues.

17. The Council is also in the process of forging partnerships with industry players, community groups, schools as well as the Ministry of Education. Fostering values and building up resilient digital citizens is not what the Council can do alone. To be effective and impactful, we need to leverage off the strength, networks and reach of our partners.

18. The organization of today’s event is a good example of how we are working with partners. I would like to thank ITE for their full support for Safer Internet Day 2013. Besides offering us their beautiful campus, the teachers and talented students started their preparations for the opening video, the song and the flash mob dance that you just enjoyed, since December last year. They’ve also spent time and effort to create several games and posters to provide cyber wellness tips and highlight the need for ethical communications in a digital world. Do find some time to stop by the booths outside the auditorium later to check out the games. More important, I am very excited that the Media Literacy Council will partner with ITE in the months ahead to work out structured programmes on media and digital literacy so that its young people can be equipped and empowered to make a difference in the digital world.

19. The list of partners to thank is long. There is Innova Junior College which created the opening video you saw. There is Nanyang Polytechnic which specially created the mobile game, “Cyber Hero” which you can now download on Google Play. And there are our industry partners who believe in our vision of a safe and responsible internet and discerning users. Starhub and Singtel participated in our series of parent-child workshops organized with the National Library Board which started last Friday, with the last session happening this evening. They taught parents how to make the internet safer by installing filters and anti-virus programmes, while librarians gave extremely useful tips on how to tell reliable information and websites from bogus ones.

20. Mediacorp is also a wonderful partner – collaborating with us to produce public education messages on TV and educational video clips using characters from the popular comedy “Noose.” You’ll get to watch them later and I hope you will share them online with your friends to help the clips go viral. Last but not least, I want to thank MDA and IDA for developing “DigiSmart,” to mark Safer Internet Day. DigiSmart is a quiz game designed to help you learn media and digital literacy in a fun way, and I hope you will download it from Apple’s app store and play it to test your digital IQ.

21. Whether mobile apps, video clips or a new website containing more tips and food for thought articles – please visit our new site at www.medialiteracycouncil.sg - the Council is committed to working with partners and producing ever more resources to build capabilities and supplement our awareness programmes and on-the-ground activities. But I would like to emphasize however that the reality is that we can only lead the proverbial horse to water, but we cannot force it to drink. This means that no matter the training and resources the Council can provide, ultimately – you - have to decide for yourself what kind of life you want to lead on the internet.

22. And this brings me to today’ highlight – the Youth Conference. I just want to say that I hope the young people here today will have an enriching time dialoguing with our special guests on how to handle the challenges of online communications, and what it means to be a responsible digital citizen. More than that, I hope everyone will walk away empowered, knowing that if you put your mind to it, you can make cyber space even more positive and enriching than it already is.

23. Thank you.