Bahrain has launched a nation-wide campaign to make the internet safer for children and teenagers as a recent research found that cyber security awareness was generally low in the Gulf nation.
"Although we don't believe that cyber crime is a major problem in Bahrain, we recognise that there are some groups that are more at risk than others and we want to be proactive in preventing potential abuses," said the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) Chairman, Dr Mohammed Al Amer.
The campaign is designed to educate parents and other caregivers about how they can help youngsters get the best out of the Internet while reducing its potential dangers.
"Our campaign will use multiple mediums, including newspapers, outdoor billboards and the internet itself, to reach as wide an audience as possible, " Amer said.
The campaign was created based on the results of ongoing studies on internet safety, which included among their recommendations that a national awareness campaign should be implemented.
Previously TRA released a national study entitled State of the Nation Review of Internet Safety, which found that internet security awareness was generally low in Bahrain.
The survey revealed that children aged between 14 and 18 were most at risk of becoming victims of cyber crime, but that most youngsters took positive action against potential risks.
Public school children, particularly girls, were found to be more at risk than their private school counterparts.
The study showed that there was no precedent for prosecuting cases of sexual or physical abuse at the time of the study, which recommended that cyber crime legislation be implemented as a deterrent to potential abuse.
The campaign's website, containing tips and tutorials, was also launched yesterday.
