With over 30% of all internet users are estimated to be children and given the expansion of broadband access, this number is only set to rise over time, Zain Group has launched ‘Internet Monsters’.
The COVID-19 pandemic has also resulted in many more children coming online as physical school classes have been restricted and more children are learning online, increasing the threat landscape for exposure to detrimental content and threat actors.
The social media campaign aims to raise awareness on child safety online at a time of increased online activity.
The creative online campaign is based on classic fairy-tales which have modern twists in an effort to depict what is occurring in the modern digital world.
Zain engaged the services of an artist to create and depict the its take on the classic children’s stories like Snow White, Hansel & Gretel, Cinderella, and Little Red Riding Hood, with the climax showing the villain in each story in a digitised manner – them emerging from laptop screens, smartphones, tablets and TV screens (gaming).
The digitisation of the classic stories, reflected against a backdrop of different digital mediums, is meant to help children visualise and relate to the threats faced online, and understand that there are ways to counter them.
The main objective is to reiterate the importance of this issue, and advocate for parents and caregivers to stay vigilant and aware of the risks, emphasising that people are not always who they might present themselves to be online.
Bader Al Kharafi, Zain Vice-Chairman and Group CEO, commented: “Child Online Safety is of great importance for Zain given the millions of children that are online every day using digital devices across our footprint.
“We are dedicated to playing our key role in addressing this especially that our region has one of the highest shares of youth in the world, coupled with a rising broadband connectivity rate. We are fully committed to address the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 16.2 calling on ending all forms of violence against children by 2030.”
Jennifer Suleiman, Zain Group’s Chief Sustainability Officer added: “Zain aims to empower millions of young people across our footprint, enabling them to reach their maximum potential. Part of this objective is keeping them safe from harmful content and people, and one of the pillars of our Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability strategy, contains initiatives that are dedicated to child online safety.
“Zain is actively involved in activities geared towards creating and supporting ecosystems that foster the well-being of young people to ensure sustainable, inclusive growth and social cohesion in our region. As a leading internet services provider, it is our responsibility to ensure that children are as safe as possible online.”
Zain has been a major advocate on issues related to raising awareness of child online safety through initiatives and collaborations in the past.
In June 2020, Zain established a three-year partnership with UNICEF, signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to work towards the advancement of the rights of children in the region. Zain and UNICEF will collaborate based on their respective expertise on strengthening activities around child rights. The MoU covers aspects on online gaming, raising awareness on child online safety and convening stakeholders on online protection.
