IAMAI partners Facebook to launch internet safety programme for students

This programme will train children, teachers and parents on how to reap maximum benefits from internet while not compromising on their safety and security.

Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and Facebook have joined hands to launch Internet Safety Education programmes for students in the age group of 13-17 years. The campaign, which is focused on building community awareness on this developmental issue, will also train educators and child safety NGOs about 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.

This programme will train children, teachers and parents on how to reap the maximum benefits from internet while not compromising on their safety and security.

Speaking about the initiative, Subho Ray, president, IAMAI, says, "IAMAI has been running the Safe Surfing campaign in India for the past four years covering 625,000 students across India. We are delighted that Facebook has come forward to support this critical initiative and enrich the campaign with its global learning."

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. Key presentations and events will be streamed live via the Facebook India page.

Ankhi Das, director of public policy, Facebook India, says, "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. Let's keep talking about safety so that we can all make smart choices, wherever we are. We are glad to collaborate with IAMAI on this important initiative."

Facebook, in order to bring the best safety resources, has created a Safety Advisory Board that advises the company on safety issues. The members of that board are leading internet safety organisations such as Childnet International, ConnectSafely, The Family Online Safety Institute, The National Network to End Domestic Violence and WiredSafety.