Tablets could expose students to human traffickers –Dunn

WESTERN BUREAU:

Dr Leith Dunn, head of the Institute for Gender and Development Studies at the University of the West Indies, Mona, believes the Government's 'tablets-in-schools programme' could be exposing children to human traffickers.

"So, we give the children the tablets in schools. they are techno natives, they know automatically how to do it and to surf, but the older persons, the parents the teachers, are less equipped to be able to deal with that," Dunn said in response to questions from The Gleaner.

Students attending several public schools and teachers' colleges across the island have been using tablet computers, that they have been receiving under the government's initiative, since 2014.

Dunn further noted that with so many children now having access to tablet computers and free access to the Internet, the risk of being exploited, as they secretly surf the dark web, has increased.

"I am saying it is good that they have it (tablet computers), but we need to ensure that they know how to protect themselves online," said Dunn.

"We have to warn them about not putting out their personal details, whether it is images, knowledge, or information that the predators who are looking out for opportunities to exploit children might be able to use to exploit them," added Dunn.

Back in 2014, shortly after the roll-out of the project, news surfaced that a schoolboy had circumvented the tablet software and had managed to access inappropriate websites.