Young people can help combat misinformation, says youth

AFTER participating in the “I am Digital” programme, Solange Dawana, a mechanical engineering student, is speaking about the importance of online safety and identifying fake news, particularly those relating to the Covid-19.
“I am Digital” was a six-week online safety campaign developed by PNG Youth and delivered by Save the Children and Facebook throughout the Pacific.
She got involved after her friend introduced her to the local Save the Children office and she participated in a series of workshops about online safety.
“I always thought of social media as a tool you use to get information but the workshop broadened my mind about the importance of staying safe online,” she said.
“It would be great to see more workshops in high schools and secondary schools being led by young people.”
With confirmed cases of the Covid-19 passing 10,000 and over 100 Covid-19 deaths in the country, Dawana believed young people had a role to play in combating the Covid-19 misinformation but wants Facebook to do more.
“Young people have the power to influence a lot of people, the older and younger generation,” she said.
“I think young people should advocate more on fighting the Covid-19 and what everyone should do, which should be to abide by the protocols and keep safe.
“I’ve heard from some people that the Covid-19 was fake and was just a strategy that the Government was using to get money.
“With the recent deaths, it’s an eye-opener for people and they are abiding by the rules and the Covid-19 restrictions more.
“PNG is made up of a lot of teenagers – the population of teenagers is much bigger than that of the older generation.
“Teenagers are the most influential people in their families.”