KUWAIT: Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Khaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah speaks during the conference. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

KUWAIT: Kuwait organized its first conference focused on protecting children from the dangers of social media yesterday. The three day conference, organized under the patronage of Prime Minister His Highness Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah will focus on techniques for protecting children from a legal, social and educational aspects.

"I hope this conference will result in complete strategy on protecting children from the dangers of social media. Every child has the right of protection and care in order to live a safe childhood, as children are half of the present and all the future," said Sheikh Khaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah, the Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister, who spoke on behalf of the Prime Minister during the launching ceremony yesterday.

Modern technology has a great impact on everybody, including children. "The first line of defense for protection lays with the family and particularly the parents through controlling and observing the websites and programs children use, in addition to warning them of the harmful ones," he added.

"Educational institutions, NGOs, and media all play an active role in encouraging children to use [social media] in a positive way, which will meet their needs of knowledge and improve their talents. These institutions also should highlight the harmful side of the social media applications or programs," explained Al-Jarrah.

This conference represents a starting point for this. "We hope to find successful solutions for dealing with threats that are targeting children. This can be done in cooperation with internet providers, which basically is a moral responsibility of these companies," he concluded.

Main responsibility

The Head of the Conference, Director General of the Investigations at the Ministry of Interior Department Brigadier Fahad Al-Dosari stated that protecting children is one of the Ministry's responsibilities towards the community, family and children particularly.

"Protecting children is a legal and social commitment as the child is the basic foundation of the community. And the more protection provided for children results in safer future of the community. This conference coincides with celebrating Family Day, and we have chosen this time as social media is now controlling the lives of all members of community," Dosari further said.

The worst impact of social media affects children. "Children suffer from many health and psychological problems as a result of using social media, in addition to being subjected to cybercrimes, identity theft or blackmailing. Some children can also be victims of sexual harassment," he pointed out.

The 60 activities of the conference include 18 worksheets and 42 workshops held in the morning and evening. Specialists in the field from Kuwait, Arab countries, Europe, and the United States representing different institutions will be participating. The conference will also look at possible technical solutions for protecting children including the experiences of different countries in facing the negative impact of social media.

By Nawara Fattahova