Achieving Cyber Safety in Junior Secondary Schools in Rivers State, Nigeria (original) (raw)

2020, International journal of humanities & social studies

The basic reason why people get involved in the use of the cyberspace is for communication and quest for knowledge. Communication is a universal activity which people engage in, to achieve their interests and solve problems. Communication channels employed by man over time have evolved from the use of messengers and signal in the olden days to the use of the radio, television and the print media. However, in this age of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) man is able to carry out communication just by the touch or click of a button using mobile technology such as mobile phones, ipads, tablets, internet, intranet, voice over internet with aid of some application such as youtube, WhatsApp, skype, imo, google mail and yahoo mail; one major benefit of ICT being that messages can be shared with greater ease, involving a more personal interaction, and within a very short time. Nwokoro (2016) pointed out that communication is a critical factor in the development of a nation, with one major target of developing children and young people who are the future leaders in terms of technology usage.These populations which can be said to be the most active group of the society are exposed to the use of electronic devices in promoting their social and educational activities. Once there is a network connection between electronics, it is said to be a cyber or cyber space also seen as an internet. While the internet can be a good tool for learning and personal study (aside from its social benefits), it also comes with risks. Predators such as paedophiles and cyber criminals may pose as new friends or acquaintance to exchange personal information from children. According to Rijnetu (2019), technology has evolved beyond control and has improved many aspects of lives and kids knowledge base. However, there is an increasing danger for children to become easy preys for malicious actors and sexual predators trying to take advantage of their lack of knowledge. Activities of safety concern for students on the cyber space include exposure to illegal or inappropriate materials, stranger danger, identity theft, invasion of privacy, harassment and cyberbullying. Many young people who get involved in several activities on the internet have encountered problems, such as cyberbullying. Smath, Mahdari, Cavalhs, Fisher and Rusell (2008) defined cyberbullying as an aggressive, intentional act carried out by a group or individual, using electronic forms of contact, repeatedly and over time. Cyberbulling occurs sharing messages on social network sites, email, downloading books from the internet, making use of electronic booksand electronic materials, video calls, video games, website browsing and in chartroom usage. Due to these enormous activities that take place, the cyber system needs to be safe and secured for better communication and to protect the users.