Safer Internet Day
February 11 is a Safer Internet Day, and Google launched “Cyberpeace: Creating a peaceful internet together” campaign to deepen its ongoing commitment to online safety and responsibility by helping teach digital citizenship in private and public high schools in the Philippines.
In partnership with the NGO Teach Peace Build Peace Movement, Google will mobilize YouTube creators, teachers, employees and other volunteers beginning February 11 to teach at least 10,000 high school students nationwide through 2020 on how to use the internet in a more responsible and safer way. Using Google’s Be Internet Awesome curriculum, the module will focus on five core concepts and values: online reputation, critical thinking to fight scams and misinformation, privacy and security, cyberbullying, and reporting inappropriate online behaviors. The initiative will also tackle other relevant issues such as catphishing and cancel culture.
The urgency for a safer internet in the Philippines is aligned with the findings of Google’s Digital Wellbeing of Families report. According to the study, 71% of Filipino households rely on digital technology to connect with their families at least once a day (highest among the 11 countries surveyed) and 85% said that they worry about their child being exposed to inappropriate content online (second after Brazil).
“We know Filipino parents are concerned, with 85% saying they worry about their child being exposed to dangerous content through digital technology. At Google, we believe kids and the youth should be able to experience the best of technology--and that parents should be able to feel confident letting them explore online,” said Bernadette Nacario, Country Director of Google Philippines. “Through the Cyberpeace campaign, we hope not to only help Filipino families stay safer online but provide a springboard for a shared, nationwide commitment to a more peaceful internet, at the heart of a vibrant digital economy for all Filipinos.”
“As gatekeepers of peace, it is an honor to be working with Google in fostering knowledge, skills, and values for the young generation to become peaceful and responsible online citizens,” expressed Bai-Rohaniza Sumndad-Usman, Founder and Chief Peace Mission Keeper of Teach Peace Build Peace Movement. “We are glad to play an important role in raising a community of Cyberpeace heroes of volunteers, teachers, and YouTube creators towards a harmonious offline and online environment.”
In addition, the Cyberpeace campaign aims to help Filipinos use technology with some of the tools today that make browsing the internet even safer. Among these are: Google 2-step Verification that protects accounts with both passwords and devices; Incognito that allows private browsing; Family Link that helps parents supervise their kids’ online activities; SafeSearch which filters out explicit results; and YouTube Kids which features curated selections of videos for children.
“Digital responsibility and online safety are key Google priorities, and we believe that the youth will only be able to reap the benefits of the digital economy if they will thrive in a peaceful online environment. We strive to further strengthen this commitment by continuously creating programs and tools that help enable a safer internet and empower families to build healthy digital habits together,” shared Yves Gonzalez, Head of Public Policy and Government Relations of Google Philippines.
The Cyberpeace campaign kicks off today with a pilot class at San Francisco High School in Quezon City led by volunteers local EduTuber Team Lyqa and YouTube creator Janina Vela. This will be followed by classes in public and private high schools in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
Join the Cyberpeace movement and let’s create a peaceful internet together! If you want to teach Google's safer internet curriculum in your school or community, reach out to Google and Teach Peace Build Peace Movement on social media.
About Google
Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. Through products and platforms like Search, Maps, Gmail, Android, Google Play, Chrome and YouTube, Google plays a meaningful role in the daily lives of billions of people and has become one of the most widely-known companies in the world. Google is a subsidiary of Alphabet, Inc.
This is a press release distributed by Stratworks, Inc.
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