HÀ NỘI — Discussions have been held between Government agencies, companies and NGO stakeholders on how to create a safer and healthier online environment for younger users on the occasion of the Safety Internet Day.

This second worshop was held in Hà Nội on Friday by TikTok Vietnam in co-operation with the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) and the Management and Sustainable Development Institute (MSD) to promote online safety in the country. 

The discussion was necessary because it provided valuable information to help raise awareness of how to maximise the benefits of the internet to children and at the same time limit its potential risks and negative impacts as child safety in both real life and online was threatened to an alarming level last year, said Đặng Hoa Nam, director-general of the Children’s Department under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

In a report on child protection in the network environment, Trần Thị Diệu Thúy from the Children’s Department said children could face abusive content online such as encouraging violence, cyber-bullying and sexual harassment.

A report by the Hà Nội National University also found that in Việt Nam, three out of 10 students faced cyber-bullying, while the worldwide figure provided by NetChildrenGoMobile was even more worrisome, with one in four children from 12 to 17 a victim of internet violence.

Nguyễn Phưong Linh, director of the MSD, said: “Younger users are one of the most vulnerable groups in society, especially in the era of technology revolution 4.0. With the fastest growth in internet use in the Asia-Pacific region, Việt Nam has more than 68 million social media users. More than one third are aged from 15 to 24 and many of them learn how to use it by themselves without any proper instruction. To maximise the potential of the younger generation, we should empower them with enough digital skills so they can take ownership to leverage the benefits of the internet and minimise the risks associated with it.”

In its role as a tech company, TikTok is involved in the campaign not only as an organiser but also as a pioneer by introducing its educational resources about internet safety.

With strict policies, advanced user functions like reporting features, privacy settings, risk warnings, parental controls, suicide prevention and detecting online predators alongside educational tools, TikTok aims to provide maximum safety for users, especially young users with parental guidance.

Nguyễn Lâm Thanh, director of TikTok Vietnam, said: “We’ve developed TikTok to inspire creativity and empower users to explore a world beyond their own. So for millions of its users, TikTok’s top priority is to improve the health and positivity of content. To help move toward this goal, we’ve been continuously enhancing and updating policies, tools and resources to promote a safe app environment. We have a number of measures in place today to protect against misuse, like restricted viewing mode, filters, in-app reporting, and a moderation team which can remove inappropriate content and terminate accounts violating its Terms of Service.”

To ensure the effort reaches millions, TikTok has also launched a series of tutorial videos.

TikTok also provides parents and young users information and resources in the TikTok Safety Center when they encounter safety-related matters on the platform. 

TikTok has also put in place protective measures by combining content moderation technology with a robust human moderation team. This team, which is based in over 20 countries and regions, including Việt Nam, now covers 36 languages, an increase of 400 per cent in terms of language support from a year ago. — VNS