Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and Facebook have joined hands to launch Internet Safety Education programmes for students between the age group of 13 and 17.
The campaign, which is focussed on building community awareness on this developmental issue, will also train Educators and Child safety NGOs about the Internet safety practices. As a part of the first phase, the programme will be rolled out across Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad to cover 18,000 students across approximately 30 schools and institutions immediately, and conclude with a national conference in Delhi addressing online child safety issues later this year. The programme will be extended to other Indian cities through 2014.
Subho Ray, President, IAMAI, said, "IAMAI has been running the Safe Surfing campaign in India for the past four years covering 6,25,000 students across India. We are delighted that Facebook has come forward to support this critical initiative and enrich the campaign with their global learnings."
Ankhi Das, Director of Public Policy, Facebook India, said, "Safety is an ongoing conversation between parents and kids, teachers and students, companies and the people who use the Internet. We encourage parents to have conversations about safety and technology early and often, in the same way that they talk to their kids about being safe at school, in the car, on public transportation or playing sport."
Facebook will develop the content and training materials and translate the same in regional languages. As part of the partnership, Facebook safety specialists will work with IAMAI trainers on safety content and participate in these training programmes. The key presentations and events will be live streamed.
This programme will train children, teachers and parents on how to reap maximum benefits from Internet - while not compromising on their safety and security.
