Parents advised on dangers of smartphones
Published on: Wednesday, May 08, 2019
By: Christy Chok
TAWAU: Kalabakan Assemblyman Ma’mun Sulaiman said smartphones have become the most widely used communication tool among children and if not properly monitored, will expose them to dangers such as pornography and sexual abuse.
He cited Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) statistics that 83.2 per cent of children aged five to 17 were internet users and 93 per cent surfed the internet using their smartphones.
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Where previously parents would hug while coaxing their children when crying, today parents will just hand out a gadget to their children to stop them crying.
According to the Fifth Malaysian Population and Family Survey in 2014, teenagers and parents were with the highest percentage of telephone users, which was 73 per cent, followed by Short Messaging Service (SMS) at 54.6 per cent and social media (15.6 per cent).
In the Revolution Industry 4.0 Era, Ma’mun said security in cyberspace was one of the nine pillars of the Revolution Industry to be chosen as a concept for the month of National Family; which takes into account the importance of technology to human life and yet, it also tends to bring danger if being misused.
He was speaking at a parenting seminar titled “Excellent Parents, Brilliant Children” held at SK Kukusan here recently.
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The event was jointly organised by Kalabakan community P191, committee of Nurul Ain mosque and Saujana Tuition Center.
“Indeed, we must accept the changing times. As parents, we must act wisely addressing future changes. Many children will imitate what their parents are doing and reflect on what their parents are thinking.
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“Thus, we should teach self-esteem to children all the time and ensure they learn the best of us,” he said.
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