Primary and secondary school curriculums will be redesigned to encourage the conscious use of information and communication technologies, according to the 2015-2018 Information Society Strategy and Action Plan prepared by the Ministry of Development. Cyberbullying, computer crimes, Internet addiction and other possible threats from information and communication technologies will be included in the curriculum. Online copyright infringements will also be considered while updating the curriculum.
Information and communication technologies boost the quality of life both economically and socially. Internet access and the use of communication technologies are globally considered basic rights and a necessity. However, the common use of these technologies creates new risk areas as mentioned above. The exploitation of personal information, hate speech and disinformation have become widespread. Covering children aged between 9 and 16 years, the EU Kids Online Study demonstrates interesting findings among children, the most frequent users of information technologies. Study results show that 25 percent of children in Turkey have become Internet addicts. Additionally, 42 percent of children have public Facebook accounts. Almost 50 percent do not know how to change security settings. Nineteen percent of them share address information on Facebook, followed by 18 percent, whose phone numbers are visible on their profiles.
The study further reveals that 3 percent of children in Turkey have suffered from cyberbullying, 18 percent have been in contact with unknown persons and 13 percent have come upon sexual content. Nearly 15 percent have seen other hazardous content such as suicide and drug images.
Along with these risk factors, families may unconsciously deteriorate the situation further. The study findings indicate that 49 percent of fathers regularly use the Internet, while this rate decreases to 24 percent among mothers. To avoid the risks of the Internet, some parents, especially those with lower literacy, prefer not to have an Internet connection at home.
The theoretical and applied educational content will raise awareness among students of the physiological and psychological risks of communication and information technologies. The courses will teach how to adjust settings on social media platforms, how to check the quality of information, computer games and other issues related to the daily use of technologies.
