29/03/2026

ON SUNDAY March 29, 2026 theSunday Special IV

H EADLINES after headlines. “Teen attacks school friend, LQÀXHQFHG E\ VRFLDO PHGLD ´ ³

Safeguarding childhood in the algorithm age BY AQILAH NAJWA JAMALUDDIN

VLW\ DQG LPSXOVLYH UHDFWLRQV SDUWLFXODUO\ IRU \RXQJ XVHUV VWLOO OHDUQLQJ KRZ WR PDQ DJH VWURQJ HPRWLRQV )URP $]XUD¶V SHUVSHFWLYH RQOLQH FRQWHQW GRHV QRW GLUHFWO\ FDXVH YLROHQW EH KDYLRXU ,QVWHDG LW VKDSHV WKH HPRWLRQDO ODQGVFDSH LQ ZKLFK FKLOGUHQ LQWHUSUHW FRQÀLFW “ 5HSHDWHG H[SRVXUH WR DJJUHVVLYH RU H[WUHPH RQOLQH FRQWHQW FDQ JUDGXDOO\ GXOO HPRWLRQDO UHVSRQVH

7KH\ PXVW EH QXUWXUHG WKURXJK UHODWLRQ VKLSV GLDORJXH DQG FRQVLVWHQW PRGHOOLQJ DW KRPH DQG LQ VFKRRO Building resilience from home I I UHVWULFWLRQV DUH RQO\ RQH OD\HU RI SUR WHFWLRQ WKH TXHVWLRQ EHFRPHV ZKDW OLHV EHQHDWK ([SHUWV LQFUHDVLQJO\ DUJXH WKDW GLJLWDO UHVLOLHQFH PXVW EH EXLOW WKURXJK VKDUHG UHVSRQVLELOLW\ DFURVV IDPLOLHV VFKRROV DQG FRPPXQLWLHV P DUHQWV $]XUD REVHUYHG RIWHQ IHHO RYHUZKHOPHG UDWKHU WKDQ LQGL̆ HUHQW 7HFKQRORJ\ KDV HYROYHG IDVWHU WKDQ WUDGLWLRQDO SDUHQWLQJ IUDPH ZRUNV OHDYLQJ PDQ\ XQVXUH KRZ WR JXLGH WKHLU FKLOGUHQ H̆ HFWLYHO\ “What children need is not constant VXUYHLOODQFH EXW RSHQ FRQYHUVDWLRQV VKDUHG ERXQGDULHV DQG FDOP FRQVLVWHQW JXLGDQFH DURXQG KRZ DQG ZK\ WHFKQRORJ\ LV XVHG ´ VKH HPSKDVLVHG R ROH PRGHOOLQJ SOD\V D FUXFLDO UROH KHUH :KHQ DGXOWV GHPRQVWUDWH EDODQFHG VFUHHQ XVH DQG UHVSHFWIXO RQOLQH EHKDYLRXU FKLOGUHQ DUH PRUH OLNHO\ WR LQWHUQDOLVH WKHVH QRUPV &RQYHUVHO\ UXOHV WKDW DUH QRW UHLQIRUFHG E\ H[DPSOH FDQ IHHO DUELWUDU\ DQG GLVFRQQHFWHG IURP GDLO\ UHDOLW\ S FKRROV WRR DUH XQGHU SUHVVXUH WR NHHS SDFH 'LJLWDO OLWHUDF\ SURJUDPPHV KDYH H[SDQGHG LQ UHFHQW \HDUV EXW WKH\ RIWHQ IRFXV RQ WHFKQLFDO VNLOOV UDWKHU WKDQ MXGJ PHQW DQG HWKLFV :LWK DUWL¿FLDO LQWHOOLJHQFH WRROV QRZ ZLGHO\ DFFHVVLEOH WKLV JDS KDV EHFRPH PRUH YLVLEOH A ]XUD EHOLHYHV HGXFDWLRQ PXVW PRYH EH\RQG IXQFWLRQDOLW\ “ 'LJLWDO OLWHUDF\ QHHGV WR LQFOXGH GLVFHUQPHQW UHVSRQVLELOLW\ DQG HWKLFDO DZDUHQHVV ´ VKH VDLG “ (VSHFLDOO\ LQ KHOSLQJ \RXQJ SHRSOH GHFLGH ZKDW LQIRUPDWLRQ WR WUXVW ZKDW WR VKDUH DQG KRZ WR HQJDJH UHVSRQVLEO\ RQOLQH ´ I PSRUWDQWO\ VKH GRHV QRW DGYRFDWH IRU IHDU GULYHQ DSSURDFKHV :KHQ FKLOGUHQ DUH JURXQGHG LQ VWURQJ UHODWLRQVKLSV SOD\ DQG GLDORJXH WHFKQRORJ\ FDQ EHFRPH D WRRO rather than a threat. “ :KHQ WKH PLQG LV QXUWXUHG ILUVW WKURXJK KXPDQ FRQQHFWLRQ GLJLWDO WHFK QRORJ\ GRHV QRW GLPLQLVK KXPDQ SRWHQWLDO LW DPSOL¿HV LW ´ $]XUD DGGHG T KLV SHUVSHFWLYH UHIUDPHV WKH GHEDWH 5DWKHU WKDQ DVNLQJ ZKHWKHU FKLOGUHQ VKRXOG EH DOORZHG RQ VRFLDO PHGLD LW LQYLWHV D PRUH FRPSOH[ TXHVWLRQ DERXW UHDGLQHVV VXSSRUW DQG FRQWH[W %DQV PD\ RIIHU WHPSRUDU\ UHOLHI EXW VXVWDLQDEOH FKDQJH GHSHQGV RQ HTXLSSLQJ \RXQJ SHRSOH ZLWK WKH HPRWLRQDO DQG FRJQLWLYH WRROV WR QDYLJDWH DQ LQFUHDVLQJO\ GLJLWDO world. A V 0DOD\VLD FRQVLGHUV WKH ORQJ WHUP LPSOLFDWLRQV RI LWV SURSRVHG SROLF\ WKH FKDOOHQJH ZLOO EH HQVXULQJ WKDW SURWHFWLRQ GRHV QRW FRPH DW WKH FRVW RI SUHSDUD WLRQ &KLOGUHQ ZLOO HYHQWXDOO\ HQWHU GLJLWDO VSDFHV 7KH WDVN QRZ LV WR HQVXUH WKDW ZKHQ WKH\ GR WKH\ DUH QRW QDYLJDWLQJ WKHP DORQH XQSUHSDUHG RU XQVHHQ

S RFLDO PHGLD DOVR SOD\V D SRZHUIXO UROH LQ LGHQWLW\ IRUPDWLRQ $GROHVFHQFH LV D SHULRG ZKHQ \RXQJ SHRSOH QDWXUDOO\ FRPSDUH WKHPVHOYHV WR RWKHUV DV WKH\ VHDUFK IRU D VHQVH RI EHORQJLQJ 'LJLWDO SODWIRUPV LQWHQVLI\ WKLV SURFHVV E\ WXUQLQJ FRPSDULVRQ LQWR D FRQVWDQW TXDQWL¿HG DFWLYLW\ PHDVXUHG WKURXJK OLNHV YLHZV and shares. S WXGLHV SXEOLVKHG LQ WKH Journal of Adolescence KDYH OLQNHG KHDY\ VRFLDO PHGLD XVH WR LQFUHDVHG DQ[LHW\ DQG ORZHU VHOI HVWHHP DPRQJ WHHQDJHUV SDUWLFXODUO\ ZKHQ YDOLGDWLRQ EHFRPHV H[WHUQDO UDWKHU WKDQ LQWHUQDOO\ JURXQGHG Y HW $]XUD FDXWLRQV DJDLQVW IUDPLQJ VRFLDO PHGLD DV LQKHUHQWO\ KDUPIXO “ , GR QRW VHH VRFLDO PHGLD DV HQWLUHO\ QHJDWLYH , KDYH VHHQ VWXGHQWV XVH LW DV D VSDFH WR H[SUHVV FUHDWLYLW\ H[SORUH LQWHU HVWV DQG IHHO FRQQHFWHG HVSHFLDOO\ WKRVH ZKR PD\ IHHO XQKHDUG RU OHVV FRQ¿GHQW LQ IDFH WR IDFH VHWWLQJV ´ VKH VDLG W KDW FRQFHUQV KHU PRUH LV QRW H[ - SRVXUH DORQH EXW ZKHWKHU FKLOGUHQ DUH GHYHORSPHQWDOO\ UHDG\ WR SURFHVV ZKDW WKH\ HQFRXQWHU RQOLQH “ 0DQ\ VWXGHQWV DUH LQWHUDFWLQJ LQ GLJL WDO VSDFHV EHIRUH WKH\ KDYH GHYHORSHG WKH DELOLW\ WR SDXVH UHÀHFW RU SXW H[SHULHQFHV LQWR SHUVSHFWLYH :KHQ WKDW UHDGLQHVV LV PLVVLQJ RQOLQH LQWHUDFWLRQV FDQ FDUU\ IDU PRUH HPRWLRQDO ZHLJKW WKDQ WKH\ VKRXOG ´ $]XUD VKDUHG W LWKRXW VẊ FLHQW JXLGDQFH VKH DGGHG FKLOGUHQ PD\ DEVRUE RQOLQH H[SHULHQFHV EHIRUH WKH\ DUH HPRWLRQDOO\ HTXLSSHG WR LQWHUSUHW WKHP “ )RU VRPH VWXGHQWV RQOLQH UHVSRQVHV DQG YDOLGDWLRQ VKDSH KRZ WKH\ VHH WKHP VHOYHV PRUH VWURQJO\ WKDQ UHDO ZRUOG LQWHUDFWLRQV )RU FKLOGUHQ ZKRVH LGHQWLWLHV DUH VWLOO IRUPLQJ WKDW FDQ TXLHWO\ LQWHQVLI\ H[LVWLQJ LQVHFXULWLHV UDWKHU WKDQ UHVROYH WKHP ´ $]XUD VDLG I Q VXFK FDVHV GLJLWDO H[SRVXUH GRHV QRW PHUHO\ UHÀHFW H[LVWLQJ YXOQHUDELOLWLHV ,W FDQ DPSOLI\ WKHP The emotional cost online A OJRULWKPV RIWHQ SULRULWLVH HPRWLRQDOO\ FKDUJHG FRQWHQW EHFDXVH LW GULYHV HQJDJH PHQW 5HSHDWHG H[SRVXUH WR H[WUHPH QDUUDWLYHV RQOLQH VKDPLQJ RU DJJUHVVLYH EHKDYLRXU FDQ JUDGXDOO\ QRUPDOLVH LQWHQ