A local telecommunications firm and a global multiplatform entertainment company have teamed up to promote proper online behavior and responsible Internet usage among the younger generation.
With more than seven million users from the Philippines, 80 percent of which are Millennials and Gen Z, Globe Telecom saw Wattpad as a promising platform to reach out to the sector most susceptible to negative aspects of the Internet for its #makeITsafePH cyberwellness campaign.
The #makeITsafePH campaign takes off from earlier Globe efforts to promote online vigilance among the public and protect the youth from becoming victims of online hacking, identity theft, and other cybercrimes.
“As we promote the benefits of digitalization, we also want to instill awareness among our customers especially the youth about new issues to understand and address. These include unethical data mining, fake news, weaponizing social media, and unethical online behavior among others,” said Yoly Crisanto, Globe senior vice president for corporate communications.
Various studies show that a significant number of Filipino youth have fallen victim to online abuse or crime which causes emotional, mental, or physical harm.
For instance, the public-private civic-academic coalition DQ Institute said last year that 73 percent of young Filipinos were exposed to at least one cyber risk specifically cyber bullying, online sexual behavior, and meeting with cyber friends, among others.
This corroborates a report from the Department of Justice that said many teenagers and younger children are exploited by the growing cybersex trafficking trade, with at least 3,000 reports being received by the Philippines per month from other countries.
Likewise, a 2015 survey by child care nonprofit organization Stairway Foundation Inc. said that 80 percent of teenagers aged 13-16 in the country have experienced social media cyberbullying such as photo editing, humiliation, threats, exposure of secret conversations, and impersonation, among other things.
Other cybercrimes that have to be addressed according to the Philippine National Police report in 2016 are online scams, online libel, identity theft, and violations of the anti-photo and video voyeurism act.
Cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab also ranked the Philippines ninth in the world in terms of volume of online attacks during the second quarter of the year, with 10.6 million malware infections taking control of computers and capturing private information. Over 34.6 percent of these attacks were targeted against home users.
“For millions of people in the Philippines and around the world, Wattpad is a home away from home, where they can express their true selves in a safe, supportive environment. From anti-bullying to body-positivity, we see Wattpadders come together every day to promote and share positive, inspiring messages,” shared Chris Stefanyk, head of brand partnerships for Wattpad.
He continued, “We’re thrilled to be part of the #makeITsafePH campaign and work with Globe Telecom to help support the safety of young people online.”
To know more about how to keep safe in cyberspace, Globe promotes the following Wattpad writers: Areyaysii, Aishiteruhachi, iamLoid, timmyme, iamQVEEN, greatfairy, cgthreena, heartlessnostalgia, PrincessThirteen00, and PrincessCreamyCake.