Training Young Minds On Cyber-Crimes And Internet Safety

Social Media Matters (SMM), conducted an online workshop at Global College of Pharmaceutical Technology on September 30. The session had a mixed group of 31 students as participants joined from various departments. Arnika Singh and Pratishtha Arora, Program Managers at SMM were trainers for the workshop.

Team SMM started the workshop with an introductory round of trainers. It was observed that majority of students use WhatsApp among social media platforms while some of them admitted to be active on Facebook and Instagram as well. With rising concerns of fake news, online harassment, etc it is imperative to reflect on the most preferred digital platforms among youngsters. A social media stats video was played and further discussed during the workshop. The trainers emphasized on the importance of social media communication and how it happens in online spaces. The purpose was to enlighten the students on cyber etiquettes while interacting with strangers online in order to avoid internet bullying or cyber frauds. A video depicting online communication was played which was further discussed by the trainers.

Training Young Minds On Cyber-crimes And Internet Safety

Looking at the interest of the participants, the sessions were engaged with help of videos on various apt themes. How one can counter hate speech with a better speech in an online space was explained with support of a video created by Swiggy. There has been a rising trend in online abuse comprising communal, racial and sexist remarks. Trolling has deeply impacted people’s mental health especially during current pandemic when most people are active on social media. Hence, another video was played on how to stop a bully. The trainers discussed it with the students in order to understand their views and help them in dealing with online violent behaviour. In order to have a positive and secure online experience, users must be well versed with privacy and safety features of various social media and OTT platforms. A run – through of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and WhatsApp settings was done to make students aware about it.

In the final Q & A round students cleared their doubts and queries such as ‘How to lock Facebook profile,’ ‘How can I block a user, were few concerns.

As a part of #SafetySeptember, team of Social Media Matters and Youth Online Learning Opportunities has been conducting workshops across the country to sensitize youth on digital safety.
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