CAIRO: In the USA, nine- to 17-year olds spend as much time online as they do watching TV, according to a survey by the National School Boards Association (NSBA) in 2007. In Egypt, the situation isn't very different. Young people are increasingly spending time on the web, mostly downloading videos or music. Social platforms such as Facebook are also making an incursion. According to Mawra Moneer of Wallis Marketing Consultants, a consultancy working among others on telecommunications technology, Facebook has become one of the most popular sites in Egypt with more than 500,000 people are registered in the "Egypt network. Besides simply chatting, users take part in discussion forums for educational purposes, coordinate cultural activities and enjoy the relative political freedom on the forum. On April 6, a nationwide general demonstration against increasing food prices was orchestrated via the internet platform, after which the group's creator was detained for almost a month. But while the internet is the voice of the generation and a great educational tool, it is not without risks. With the boom in social networking sites, new threats emerge of which parents are unaware. The biggest risks, Moneer said, is children's exposure to child predators. "Just like what we know from the movies they can approach children online and pretend to be someone else, she said. Another threat lies in children's natural curiosity. "They might just click on pop ups and see images that we don't want them to see, said Moneer. So in this day and age, and with technologies they are unfamiliar with, what can parents do to protect their children? According to Moneer, parents should invest in protection software that blocks access to inappropriate sites. In addition, of course, parents should closely monitor their children's online activities. With the help of these programs, which install parental controls on PCs, parents can see the sites their children are visiting. One challenge here is for parents to keep abreast of the rapid development of online content - and this is where Common Sense Media can help. The US-based non-profit organization provides free reviews of websites and other online media and sponsors short tutorial videos to introduce parents to new platforms such as Facebook. It can also help parents find out if their children are members of these networking sites. However, with internet cafes springing up in almost every neighborhood in Egypt, web use increasingly escapes parental control. To that, Common Sense Media says, "We can't cover our children's eyes but we can teach them to see. In Egypt, the non-profit organization Suzanne Mubarak's Women's International Peace Movement helps parents teach their children smart web use. Director General Nagwa Shoab said, "Just as you wouldn't let your children walk alone in the streets without telling them basic guidelines as to look left and right before crossing and not to talk to strangers, parents should also teach their children commonsense rules about internet use. The initiative formulated behavioral guidelines such as the catchy SMART rules: Children can keep safe by not giving out personal information, by not meeting online acquaintances in real life, by not to accepting emails or files from people they don't know, by always doubting the reliability of information given online and by telling their parents whenever they are worried. In September 2007, the movement, in collaboration with international partners, launched a cyberpeace initiative to empower young people to use the internet wisely. One objective of the initiative is to encourage internet service providers to employ screening tools and to cooperate with authorities when it comes to persecuting offenders. Another important mission is to raise awareness through parent focus groups about the potential of the internet as well as its inherent threats. However, Shoab cautions parents not to be alarmist about the internet. "It is the language of young people today and it is a powerful tool, she said. Her advice to parents is: "Keep the dialogue with your children open. Don't block saying that you don't understand computers or that you can't keep up with them. Finally, the most important aspect of the initiative's work is the training young people themselves through the youth focus group Net-Aman (online safety). The participants will eventually become mentors and teach their friends about safe web use. "After all, young people are not listening to you or me, they are listening to their peers, said Shoab.
