Stepping up against cyberbullying, sifting
through fake news on social media and reducing excessive screen
time - these are the goals of this year's Better Internet Campaign,
which aims to promote responsible online habits and safe
Internet use.
Spearheaded by the Media Literacy Council (MLC),
the four-month campaign started on Tuesday (Feb 7), which is
also Safer Internet Day worldwide.
The campaign consists of outreach and awareness
programmes aimed at youths and young adults aged 15 to 35, as they
are active users of the Internet.
MLC chairman Lock Wai Han said it was critical to
encourage youths here to be positive online, as mobile devices and
the Internet have become an integral part of everyday life.
One of the cyberwellness priorities for this year's
campaign is the discernment of fake news, a term popularised after
the United States elections in 2016.
"With the proliferation of news sources online, we need
to be discerning to distinguish between falsehood and the truth, to
avoid falling prey to scams and fake news," said Mr Lock.
Personal stories and experiences of cyberbullying, told
from both the perspective of bully and victim, will be posted on
the campaign website at www.betterinternet.sg.
A series of outreach events in secondary schools and
tertiary institutions have also been planned to raise awareness of
cyberwellness issues.
ST