MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Education (DepEd) on Tuesday, April 28 now has 3 courses teaching students how to stay safe online on DepEd Commons, the department’s e-learning platform.

With classes suspended under community quarantines, children are forced to stay at home, which may lead to increased time online.

“In this present scenario, without proper guidance and knowledge, children could potentially encounter a multitude of risks and harms, from interactions with potential offenders, exposure to pornography, sharing of personal information, to exposure to cyberbullying, and many more,” DepEd said in a press release.

The modules show how dangerous behaviors in real life can manifest online, like how predators on the street can just be as dangerous as their counterparts online. (READ: [OPINION | Dash of SAS] Preventing child sexploitation during lockdown and beyond)

The modules were developed by child rights learning and resource center Stairway Foundation.

The courses on cyber safety can be found under the DepEd Commons’ “Spotlight” tab. There is also a child-friendly animated video explainer on the novel coronavirus, voiced in Filipino. Click here to access DepEd Commons.

Be a buddy, not a bully

This module looks at different types of bullying, from verbal, physical, and emotional bullying, and how some forms may translate to cyberbullying. It provides tips on how to deal with bullying.

Add friends, not strangers

This module looks into interactions with strangers, and teaches its viewers that a social network should be limited to select trusted people.

Some things are not worth sharing

This module discusses how to responsibly share content online. The module emphasizes consent and privacy as some of the biggest considerations of posting something.

DepEd Commons also includes e-learning courses on academic subjects, from kindergarten to tertiary levels.

The platform had 4.2 million users accessing online learning materials at the height of enhanced community quarantine, according to an April 20 press release from DepEd. 

The DepEd Commons website can be accessed free of charge on Globe- or TM-powered smartphones. However, the links going to external modules may incur normal data charges. – Rappler.com