McAfee recently announced that it has reached more than 100,000 youth, parents and teachers around the globe with its cyber education program. The McAfee Cares – Online Safety for Kids Program is a free school initiative that utilizes McAfee employees, partners and customers who volunteer to train school-age children and parents on ways to stay safe and secure, as well as maintain good ethics in their online behavior.
According to the 2013 McAfee Digital Deception study, “Exploring the Online Disconnect between Parents and Kids,” about 25 percent of youth spend five to six hours a day online. Eighty-six percent of youth believe that social media sites are safe and are aware that sharing personal details online carry risk, yet they continue to post personal information such as their email addresses and social security numbers.
“We have a responsibility to equip the next generation of computer users with the skills they need to safely experience all the benefits of the Internet,” said Michelle Dennedy, chief privacy officer, McAfee. “And just as important is making sure they understand how to be responsible cyber citizens. We teach skills needed to navigate the digital world, including how to safeguard against cybercriminals, hackers and cyber bullies.”
On May 16, McAfee hosted its second annual McAfee Global Community Service Day to continue the effort of helping hundreds of non-profits around the world. As part of this day of service, McAfee volunteers taught cyber education to approximately 25,000 kids, parents and teachers around the world. As one example, California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, and Michael DeCesare, McAfee president, paired up and shared the stage at Monte Vista High School in Danville, Calif. to educate students about responsible online behavior.
In South East Asia, the McAfee Online Safety for Kids program has been running for over a year in local schools across Malaysia, Singapore and Malaysia, and has already reached over 15, 000 children to date. The National Infocomm Security Competition (NISEC) in Singapore, surveying both adults and students about cyber security and online habits, conducted a recent study, finding that 37% of the respondents still feel uncomfortable to share files and conduct transactions online, showing that the participants are aware of the dangers on the internet, and that they might be susceptible to attacks. Survey participants also rated scam and fraud, as well as stolen personal information, as the two biggest online threats.
“While we were able to reach out to a wide number of children through McAfee’s Online Safety for Kids program, there is still more to be done to ensure that the next generation is well aware of the dangers that the internet holds. As the global leader in cyber security it is our duty to share our knowledge and expertise with the communities around use,” said Wahab Yusoff, Vice President of South Asia, McAfee.
The McAfee Online Safety for Kids program is recognized by IDG’s Computerworld Honors Program as a 2013 Laureate. The annual award program honors visionary applications of information technology promoting positive social, economic and educational change. Founded by International Data Group (IDG) in 1988, The Computerworld Honors Program is governed by the not-for-profit Computerworld Information Technology Awards Foundation.