Kaspersky Lab boosts cybersecurity awareness across local schools
Kaspersky Lab, a global cyber security company, in partnership with Active Education, is bringing cybersecurity education to Namibian schools through a series of interactive activations.
Aimed at driving top of mind awareness around online safety, the Safe Kids Roadshow, started on 10 September in Windhoek, and will move through Walvis Bay, concluding on 21 September in Swakopmund – covering 20 schools and a total of over 13,700 children and parents.
Among the main threats to be addressed are cyberbullying, inordinate disclosure of personal information and general rules of online behaviour.
“Protecting children is something that Kaspersky Lab takes very seriously on a global scale, which is why we recommend using not only the usage parental control products, but also having a trust relationship with your child. No matter what kids are doing online, it is important for parents not to leave their children’s digital activities unattended and to educate them about online security. The more information you have as a parent, the more you are able to protect them,” said Riaan Badenhorst, General Manager for Kaspersky Lab Africa.
Kaspersky Lab’s latest report, based on statistics from the company’s Parental Control modules, has revealed that children in Namibia are more likely to watch video content and listen to music, than spend time on social media.
The report indicated that audio and video content accounted for 50% of all online activities of Namibian children, with YouTube and DVDVideoSoft being popular among the young generation, while younger kids prefer Nickelodeon Africa.
This was followed by 31% interested in Internet communication media – in the majority of cases, this is referred to as social media/networks – with popular ones being Facebook, Google Hangouts, Skype and WhatsApp.
According to the report, children in Namibia also visited news sites more frequently, including the BBC and the Daily Mail – accounting for 8% of activities. Electronic commerce is among top categories as well: 5% of children showed their interest in exploring Amazon for clothes and mobile devices.
“As a school, we fully support the need to educate and create awareness about online safety especially as our learners are exposed to more than ever before and while this opens up immense learning opportunities, we need to be cognisant of their safety. With this in mind, we fully support the activation that Kaspersky Lab has initiated for our learners and look forward to the positive impact it will have,” said Kathi Damon, Principal of the Primary School at the Waldorf School in Windhoek.
