Appoint a children’s online safety commissioner: NGO

Save the Children is urging the government to appoint a commissioner for children’s online safety after a survey suggested four in 10 students in Hong Kong have been exposed to unwanted sexual content online.

The survey that it commissioned, which quizzed about 1,300 pupils aged between eight and 17 for six months up to December 2021, also found that school students were asked by others to make their own material.

“Because e-safety is such an important topic that requires our attention, we would like to see the authorities establish a special commissioner for online safety for children,” Carol Szeto, the chief executive of the NGO said.

She added that authorities should associate the position with an independent body that could look after online safety issues.

“That way, we have a focal point in the authorities. And we will also have an independent agency that kids will feel more comfortable [with]. When they report something, someone will follow through and investigate it.”

Szeto pointed out that those who are neglected and abused in the physical world are more likely to experience online sexual abuse or harassment.

“That’s probably because in the physical world, they are lacking that care and love from their parents, from people around them…and that unfortunately makes them more vulnerable.”

She also called on parents to find ways to engage with their children’s digital life and explore the internet safely with them, adding that schools should also provide guidance.