A TASKFORCE will be set up to strategise how children can be protected against the dangers of the Internet.

To be co-chaired by the deputy secretaries from two ministries - Information, Communications and the Arts, and Education - it will coordinate national efforts involving government agencies, the community and the industry,

It will also get more resources, promised Dr Lee Boon Yang, Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday to respond to the report of the Advisory Council on the Impact of New Media on Society (Aims), Dr Lee said the taskforce would get funds to support 'new initiatives and programmes for cyber wellness'.

Chaired by media veteran Cheong Yip Seng, Aims had earlier recommended that a coordinating agency be set up to reduce duplication, as it develops strategies against dangers such as cyber-bullies, Web addiction and harmful content.

It is a step that homemaker Samantha Kuntaryo, 36, welcomes.

Currently, she watches over her six-year-old daughter, Aurelia, whenever she surfs her favourite websites such as Playhouse Disney and Nickelodeon.

But Ms Kuntaryo worries what would happen when she steps away. 'There is such a vast amount of information on the Internet, and people who have bad intentions would find sneaky ways to get the young ones tempted,' she said.

One useful measure the taskforce can implement, she suggested, is for schools to teach students how to recognise and avoid undesirable websites online. 'For instance, some Web links are very insidious,' she said.

Such lessons can begin from when pupils are in Primary Three, she added.

Whatever the new initiatives may be, the taskforce will leverage on existing efforts, especially those by the Internet and Media Advisory Committee, said Dr Lee.

These include public education and technical solutions, like content filters.

One of them - the Family Access Network - should be given free, with the $2 to $3 monthly charges borne by the Government and the industry, Aims had recommended.

But in its response, the Government said many broadband subscribers get it free. Moreover, as free filtering software is available, 'it would be more beneficial if parents themselves were to exercise responsibility and download such software for the protection of their children'.

However, the Infocomm Development Authority will explore the possibility of including filters for needy students getting free broadband subscription, it added.

Meanwhile, an existing symbolic ban on 100 websites will stay.

There continues to be merit in it, as it is 'a symbolic statement of our society's core values', said the Government.

However, it will be reviewed when 'the culture and practice of cyber wellness is firmly entrenched'.

LI XUEYING

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Jan 10, 2008.