Digital Thumbprint Program helps kids fight online verbal abuse the right way

DTP guides kids on proper online behavior

As an advocate of cybersecurity and safety, Globe is helping kids learn how to fight online verbal abuse the right way through its Digital Thumbprint Program (DTP) which the Department of Education (DepEd) has adopted as part of the Values Education subject in schools.

Yoly Crisanto, Globe Chief Sustainability Officer and SVP for Corporate Communications pointed out that when someone makes fun of  kids online — teasing, taunting, or calling them names, that can already be considered as verbal abuse. 

“Kids are highly vulnerable online and their experiences can have a debilitating effect on their physical and psychological well-being.  They can feel humiliated, embarrassed, and helpless with no one to turn to. Through DTP, we hope to teach children how to respond to online abuse and at the same time, guide them on proper online behavior to help shape behaviors in the future and prevent the negative impacts of online abuse,” she said.

The 2016 National Baseline Survey on Violence Against Children (NBS-VAC) noted that of the 43.8 percent of Filipino children aged 13 to 18 years  who have experienced cyber violence, about a third were in the form of verbal abuse over the internet or mobile phone. This can be through name calling, body shaming, threats, hate messages, sarcasm, and derogatory language, among others.  

Thus, to help provide a safer online environment for children, DTP is being conducted in schools to reiterate the importance of digital citizenship.  It helps not just children but also teachers and parents on how to effectively deal with and avoid becoming victims of online verbal abuse themselves.

Done mainly through learning modules and workshops designed to increase students’ knowledge regarding digital citizenship and cyber safety, these modules involve taking a careful look at kids’ online behavior and helping them develop needed insights on how the online world can influence them in making choices. DTP, likewise, creates a dialogue where kids are able to learn and understand how to navigate the internet safely.

Believing that every child has a right to quality education, Globe continues to strive to advanced learning and education technology across public schools, enabling the youth to become responsible digital citizens.

For more about DTP, please visit https://www.globe.com.ph/about-us/sustainability/digital-nation/digital-thumbprint.html