INTERNET: FRIEND OR FOE?

The usability of the internet was brought to a whole new level when the distance learning modalities were implemented. Its almost-infinite source of information paved the way for more efficient learning and alleviated the lapses that came with the abrupt shift of the educational system. However, this massive pool of internet content comes at a high cost.

According to a 2021 UNICEF report, Filipinos around the age of 10 spend at least 2 hours on the internet daily, and the older population gets a longer usage time. The report also claimed that the number of younger children using the internet increases. Thus, UNICEF recommended that these children be taught technical skills and digital accountability because of the risks that come with the convenience of the internet. This is to prevent addiction and abuse of the unfiltered contents of the web to harm oneself or others. In the Philippines, one of the most rampant manifestations of digital irresponsibility is cyberbullying. With approximately 79.7 million internet users in the Philippines, social networking sites have become quite packed with different personalities and clashing points of view. These websites, particularly Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, became a platform of cyberbullying, mainly body shaming and gender discrimination. In fact, one-third of the cyberviolence cases in the country have victimized children through verbal abuse as of 2019 despite the legislation of the Anti-Cybercrime Law in 2012.

Furthermore, the internet is so easy to access that even the young population is vulnerable to explicit and adult content. For one, pornography addiction has become a problem in the Philippines for many years now because the sites are only a click away from the users. Moreover, several websites do not use advertisement filters, so sexually-provoking ads often pop up even in supposedly safe web addresses. Even on social media sites, these mature contents appear from time to time, poisoning the minds of the younger population. Another problem that comes with the internet’s convenience is the online scam. Since internet users can create as many accounts as they need, trolls and scammers can still victimize uninformed users as long as they create new accounts after the previous ones were taken down. In 2020, there were about 869 online fraud cases only between March and September, 37% higher than that of 2019.

Last is the most alarming enemy of education – fake news. When the pandemic hit the Philippines, the internet became the mainstream news and information medium. 48% of the current population now depends on the internet for their daily dose of local news, 44% of them rely on Facebook as a source of news instead of more credible sites. Unfortunately, Facebook isn’t a credible news outlet as any user can publish even the least sensible articles, splice videos, or change a political statement and still convince many. If this continues and people believe based only on what they see, the purpose of the sector of education to inform will eventually be invalidated and go to waste.

The benefits of the internet are truly promising, but the risks are alarming. To harness its power without harm, the young learners must be taught and equipped with the necessary information and skill to discern fake news, avoid scams, filter the contents they engage in, and become responsible netizens. Since the education runs online during distance learning, we must intervene and start the movement towards digital literacy.

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By: Renz Oliver N. Alfanta

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