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Showing posts from April, 2021

Cyberbullying: How Parents Can Approach Their Child About it

  Cyberbullying: How Parents Can Approach Their Child About it Words by Celeste Goh Malaysia has one of the highest levels of social media cyberbullying in the world at 71% One in four Malaysian parents have revealed that their children had experienced cyberbullying Most victims or parents do not escalate these cases to the police, even though the effects of cyberbullying are comparable to physical bullying However the bigger problem is that up tp 70% of parents struggle to approach the topic with their children in a meaningful way When it comes to cyber crimes, the Malaysian government is rather hands-on about preventing them escalating any further. While Malaysia may be  one of the countries in the world  with the highest level of social media bullying at 71%, in terms of awareness, the country also counters with a high degree of awareness at 85% globally.  Besides that, cyberbullying is considered  an offence under the Malaysia Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, and in 2018 and

Starting 2021 on the right foot: Ensure your digital wellbeing in the year ahead

  The first step to achieving better digital wellness is to be aware of your own current digital habits Include your children in the process of setting up new rules – they’re more likely to follow them when they’ve had a say Revisit old non-tech habits like reading books to give your eyes a rest from digital screens Over the course of the last decade, our lives have changed significantly thanks to advances in technology. Terms like “hyper-connectivity” and “digital wellbeing” were seemingly non-existent, and daily tasks like paying for hawker food with your mobile phone or ordering groceries directly from your fridge were merely scenes from sci-fi movies. But here we are in 2021, where all of these things are very real, and very intertwined with our daily lives.  All in a day’s work These days, you wake up to messages from your friends and family, browse through global news on your smartphone at breakfast, and watch your children dial into their online classes with their laptops. You g

The other pandemic: Doomscrolling

  by Chan Wern Shen Doomscrolling doesn’t only happen to adults; an increasing amount of children are being affected too. Research shows that it triggers anxiety, and worsens depression. Fighting back isn’t easy, but it is achievable with the mix of discipline, common sense and a strong desire to change. Stepping through your front door after a long day in the office, you half expect to hear your daughter’s running feet to greet you home. But as the door closes shut behind you, all you hear is the sound of the TV playing in the background. Peering through to the hall as you put your shoes away, you notice your daughter curled up on the sofa, furiously running her finger up and down the screen of her iPad. “At least she’s not dancing or bouncing around like those other children do on TikTok,” you tell yourself, in a self-assured inner voice. “No sound coming out of her iPad either. Maybe she’s reading something online.”  You chuckle at that last thought, and continue to walk by. She has