New Delhi (NVI): With the closure of schools due to the Covid-19 pandemic, millions of children across the world are at an increased risk of harm online, as they are spending more time on virtual platforms to take classes as well as socialising, the UNICEF said today.
“The coronavirus pandemic has led to an unprecedented rise in screen time,” said Global Partnership to End Violence Executive Director, Howard Taylor.
School closures and strict containment measures mean more and more families are relying on technology and digital solutions to keep children learning, entertained and connected to the outside world, but not all children have the necessary knowledge, skills and resources to keep themselves safe online, Taylor added.
More than 1.5 billion children and young people have been affected by school closures worldwide, UNICEF said, adding that spending more time on virtual platforms can leave children vulnerable to online sexual exploitation and grooming, as predators look to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic.
A lack of face-to-face contact with friends and partners may lead to heightened risk-taking such as sending sexualized images, while increased and unstructured time online may expose children to potentially harmful and violent content as well as greater risk of cyberbullying, it said.
Commenting on the issue, UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said, “Under the shadow of COVID-19, the lives of millions of children have temporarily shrunk to just their homes and their screens. We must help them navigate this new reality.”
“We call on governments and industry to join forces to keep children and young people safe online through enhanced safety features and new tools to help parents and educators teach their children how to use the internet safely,” she said.
Considering the situation, UNICEF has made recommendations in a ‘new technical note’, aimed at urging governments, ICT industries, educators and parents to be alert, take urgent measures to mitigate potential risks, and ensure children’s online experiences are safe and positive during COVID-19.
As per the preliminary recommended actions, governments gave been urged to bolster core child protection services to make sure they remain open and active throughout the pandemic. They have been asked to train health, education and social service workers on the impacts that COVID-19 may have on child well-being, including increased online risks.
UNICEF has also asked countries to step up awareness raising and educational initiatives on child online safety, and make sure social service providers, schools, parents and children are aware of local reporting mechanisms and have support numbers of local helplines and hotlines.
The Information technology industry including social networking platforms has been asked to ensure that online platforms have enhanced safety and safeguarding measures, especially virtual learning tools, and that they are clearly accessible to educators, parents and children.
The Schools have been asked to update current safeguarding policies to reflect the new realities for children learning from home, promote and monitor good online behaviours and ensure that children have continued access to school-based counselling services.
In its recommendations to parents, UNICEF has asked them to ensure that children’s devices have the latest software updates and antivirus programs. Parents have also been urged to have open dialogues with children on how and with whom they are communicating online, be alert to signs of distress in children that may emerge in connection with their online activity, and be familiar with school district policies and local reporting mechanisms.
Coming to India, UNICEF said that a recent report of the India Child Protection Fund using Pornhub data shows that there is an increase in online searches of child sexual abuse materials. The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing in India has also warned of this risk in a recent statement, it said.
In India, CHILDLINE, which is the largest child helpline in the world with over two million calls a year, has been declared an emergency service and is allowed to access and respond to cases in the current situation.
