The evolution of the Internet is creating new opportunities but also new risks for parents, teachers and young people.
With the rapid rise of the mobile Internet and the proliferation of smartphones and other Internet-connected mobile devices, today's classrooms are a nexus for cyber crime, cyber bullying and sexting. Overcoming this new breed of challenges is a task requiring a complex set of approaches, says Daren Dhoray, project leader of Cyber Safe T&T, an initiative geared towards teaching students safe web practices.
In response to the growing number of explicit videos captured in schoolyards and then shared on popular social media websites such as YouTube, there have been calls from education stakeholders to ban smart devices from school compounds.
But Dhoray said simply outlawing iPads and cell phones won't deal with the real problem. Because they are surrounded by so many ways to slip up with technology, "we cannot risk not talking to students about the dangers," Dhoray said.
"The technology is simply the vehicle. What we have to do, both parents and teachers, is teach the values to students so that they would not be caught in a viral video," Dhoray said.
Another key part of the response, Dhoray said, is for parents and teachers to get more familiar with the array of hardware and rapidly changing software at young people's disposal.
"Parents need to understand the technology before they implement it," he said, adding, "the older generation are not exactly techno-natives."
For example, while there is software available for parents and schools to block harmful sites, many children are able to find "back doors" to those sites and get around the parental block placed on the computers, he said.
Network operators and Internet service providers can also restrict Internet access to protect young people, but with mobile devices providing such direct access to open Wi-Fi networks, young people can still very easily access explicit websites and upload inappropriate material.
The enacting of the Cybercrime Bill, Dhoray said, would help to protect children and convict cyberbullies and cyber predators who share sex videos and child pornography.
"The country is in dire need of the Cybercrime Bill or really the Cybercrime Act. The Cybercrime Bill will cause many of these viral videos to be recognised legally as defamation of character and cyber bullying," he said.
The Bill, Dhoray hoped, would allow for legal action to be taken against anyone who films and spreads a video or image that would cause ill to an individual.
In the meantime, the ultimate advice to avoid getting caught in an online scandal is really simple, Dhoray said. Just don't record any incriminating information in the first place.
"This issue has been going on for a while. Our advice has always been don't post, don't take the video out. At some point in time it may resurface, and it could haunt you."
Long tail
Last month, viral videos once again hit the headlines of the local news. In one case, a woman was caught on camera phone vandalising a Toyota Hilux on Ariapita Avenue, Woodbrook.
Another video circulating on social media was of two students from a Tobago secondary school engaging in sexual activities. While this video was four years old, it resurfaced numerous times online.Noting that the video of the students from Tobago was four years old, Dhoray said the fact that it resurfaced was exactly the reason why people must practice caution while taking personal photos.
"Now their reputation is tarnished by the video. They both are no longer in school. They could now lose their job. Some people lost their scholarships because of sex video scandals," Dhoray said.
"We keep on saying, what you would not want to be seen, you should not put up online."
