Doha                                                                                                                                                                                                      23 Dec 2017                                                                                                                                                                              (Vodafone)

Vodafone has delivered online safety workshops at 10 of Qatar’s boys and girls schools. This comes as part of Vodafone’s AmanTECH online safety programme, which aims to equip children, parents and teachers with the right tools to navigate the digital world safely.

The first workshop took place at Al Wajba Primary School followed by Sukina Preparatory School, Rokaya Preparatory Independent School, Ibn Sina Primary School, Al Razi Preparatory School Moath bin Jabal Primary School, Isra Independent Primaray School, Ali Bin Abitalib Preparatory School, Al Taawon Primary School and Hayan Bin Jaber Primary School.

The workshops require the children to perform tasks related to safety online to learn specific skills including identifying fake news vs real, safe online gaming, self-image and reputation online. The children were highly engaged and actively participated in discussions whilst having fun with their peers.

According to the latest statistics, Qatar has one of the highest internet penetrations in the world and the highest social media penetration. Nearly half of Qatari children aged 8-15 own a smartphone, and 76% of children aged 9-16 have a social network profile. The average Qatari 9-16 year-old spends over 3 hours per day on the net which is a considerable amount of time.

Mohammed Al Yami, Director of External Affairs at Vodafone Qatar, said: “Across the Vodafone Group, we have a wealth of experience in developing industry-leading initiatives to help parents and children navigate the online world. We are committed to ensuring that children in Qatar are given the opportunity to make the most of communication technologies for their development while also instilling healthy online habits.”

To address the important need in Qatar for digital literacy, Vodafone launched AmanTECH in 2014 which has been working through a three-pronged approach to reach out to parents, teachers and children aged between 5 and 17 with a focus on awareness, education and technical support.

The AmanTECH programme includes ongoing workshops, an online source for information and tips for parents [www.vodafone.qa/AmanTECH], where online magazines and a digital parenting guide is also available.