Child representatives meet with the Minister of Telecommunications and Information Technology for Safer Internet Day
Ramallah, 8 February 2023
On the 8th of February 2023, a group of eight children from Tubas and north of the Jordan Valley met with Dr. Ishaq Seder, the Minister of Telecommunications and Information Technology, for Safer Internet Day to discuss the dangers Palestinian children face while online. The children, four girls and four boys aged 7 to 11 years, also shared with the Minister a series of recommendations on the measures that could be taken to better regulate the internet for a safer and more enjoyable experience for all Palestinian children.
The children developed the recommendations based on the findings of a survey World Vision helped them to conduct earlier this year in partnership with the Directorate for Education of Tubas and the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology. The survey included 258 children and 81 caregivers and parents.
Among these recommendations, the children insisted on the need to invest in raising awareness among children and youth on the dangers of internet and the existing reporting mechanisms they could use if they face child protection issues online. The recommendations also mention the need to raise awareness among parents and caregivers on the dangers that children face online and on the critical role that they can play toward their protection.
They also listed a series of technical measures they recommend the ministry to discuss with service providers, developers and other stakeholders of the digital industry to strengthen the protection offered to children online. The recommendations include the blockage of harmful applications, free filtering services, restriction of the functionalities of some applications, and harmonization and amendment of internet policies). Overall, the children stressed the need for the implementation of a comprehensive approach starting with the adoption of a national policy focusing on the protection of children online.
The Minister of Telecommunications and Information Technology welcomed the initiative of this meeting with the children and reminded them of the need to report any issue through the protection hotline (131). He also conveyed child protection is a top priority for the Ministry of Telecommunications and that more measures will be adopted to ensure the protection of children online in coordination with the Ministry of Social development, the Ministry of Education, the Public Prosecution Office, and the Cyber Crime Unit of the the Palestinian Police.
Internet usage in Palestine has increased significantly over the past few years. There were 3.7 million internet users in the occupied Palestinian territory in January 2022, which represents 71% of the total population. There were also 3.4 million social media users in January 2022, which is equivalent to 64% of the total Palestinian population, an increase of 9% between 2021 and 2022 [all data from Datareportal, Digital 2023 Global Report, January 2023.]
While the internet creates huge opportunities for children in terms of education and entertainment, it also generates serious risks. Cyberbullying and other forms of peer-to-peer violence are a constant risk on social media or instant messaging platforms. Many websites and social media platforms do not do everything they should to protect children from being exposed to sensitive material, pornography, hate speech and violent content. Some companies have also adapted their marketing to target children, leading to excessive time online that negatively impacts their family and social lives.
In 2020, the Cyber Crime Unit of the Palestinian Police received 2,720 complaints, an increase of 11% compared to 2019.
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About the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology
The Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology is working to ensure that the Palestinian society benefits from the best use of information and communication technology and to provides a fair and stimulating regulatory environment that works to enhance competition and productivity and raise the efficiency of the national economy.
About World Vision International Jerusalem – West Bank – Gaza (JWG)
World Vision is a Christian relief, development and advocacy organisation dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. The organisation started to work in the West Bank and Gaza in 1975.
Since then, World Vision JWG has developed one of the largest community-based presence of any organisation operating in the West Bank with 91 dedicated staff and a total annual budget of $11 million USD for 2023. In 2022, our programming on education, early childhood development, child protection and child resilience benefited directly more than 232,000 people, including 169,000 children in 150 villages in the West Bank. To learn more about World Vision’s work in the Middle East and Eastern Europe to keep children safe online, including in the occupied Palestinian territories, read here.