According to the December 2007 Internet usage statistics from Internet World Stats, 38.7 percent of world Internet users worldwide are from Asia. In the Philippines, Yahoo data reveals that there were 14 million Internet users in 2006. This number is expected to surge up to 24 million this year according to AC Nielsen report cited in Digital Filipino.com.
Another data from the Young Filipino Internet User Report 2007 reveals that the Filipino youth use the Internet primarily for researching, social networking and gaming.
With the increasing popularity of the Internet, risks associated online have been one of the most alarming issues recently. There are a lot of cases of fraudulent online transactions, online piracy (software music, video), online hacking of personal information and bank accounts and online pornography, among others.
In an effort to help address this concern, the Business Software Alliance (BSA), an international organization promoting a safe and legal digital world, recently launched a campaign called B4USurf in the Philippines. The launch is part of the regional initiative of BSA Asia to promote safe and ethical use of the Internet among youth in Asia by putting together relevant resources on online safety in a website, B4USurf.
The website includes three sections, one section each for parents, educators and the youth. Each section provides tips on how to protect oneself in the cyberspace. The youth section contains information on the dangers online auctions, file sharing and sharing personal information in networking websites. It also list down the dos and don'ts of online use and contains basic information on copyright.
With more exposure on the recent technological trend, children today are more adept than their parents in using the Internet. The parent section of the website aims to address this gap by helping the parents understand the many dangers that their children are being exposed while online. In this way, they may be able to guide their children the next time they surf the Internet.
Aside from providing basic information on online safety and piracy, the educators section also provide proposed teaching strategies and downloadable resources that can aide in teaching the online safety concept.
With all this effort, online safety is undoubtedly becoming so serious a concern and the young one's online behavior should not be left to chance. The youth should be properly guided regarding their visit in the World Wide Web. Parents and teachers should be well-informed and play an important role in making the Internet a safe haven for everyone.
