English
Kolkata, Dec 26: West Bengal women and child development minister Sashi Panja has advised parents to educate their children about how to make the best use of Internet and where to draw a line. He also expressed concerns over the growing problem of Internet addiction.
“I think that parents must guide their children about Internet usage. Think about the Blue Whale Challenge. The game was taking the children on suicidal missions without the knowledge of the elders,” Hindustan Times quoted Sashi as saying at an event organized to launch UNICEF’s State of the World’s Children 2017 report.
The minister cited an example of a girl in a remote south Bengal village who had stopped the early marriage of a friend by sharing her image and information in the school Whatsapp group, as a good use of the Internet. “This instance of sending the image of a would-be child bride to her teachers and friends is an example of good use of the Internet. Had these rural students not been exposed to Internet and social media, this would not have been possible,” she told Hindustan Times.
Sashi informed that UNICEF is collaborating with the West Bengal government for the benefits and over-all development of children. A senior UNICEF official, who was present at the book launch told Hindustan Times that they aim to ensure that every child has access to the Internet and has equal opportunities to explore their potential.
The commission of West Bengal Protection of Child Rights will hold a workshop in March 2018 for international experts to discuss the prevalence of cyber bullying and online abuse of children.
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