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Lankans need to have better understanding of privacy settings in social media
View(s):Many Sri Lankans have little knowledge about privacy settings when using social media, a University lecturer pointed out at a recent discussion, adding that it was imperative to increase awareness in this area. Speaking at a panel discussion titled, Social Media: The Good, Bad, and the Ugly, organised by the Sri Lanka Press Institute, Kelaniya University lecturer Dinithi Jaysekara said a research conducted among university students in three universities showed that a majority of the university-going users of Facebook were not aware about the security settings available in this popular social networking site.
Some of the panelists: L to r: Dinithi Jayasekera, Jomo Uduman and Dr. S. Galappatti. In the centre is the moderator at the panel discussion. Pic by Indika Handuwala
Ms. Jayasekara surmised if university students lacked knowledge it would be the same among the general public who use these sites too. Of the 1.5 million internet users in Sri Lanka almost half of them own a facebook account. A majority of them, 642,360, are between the ages of 18-24. Of these 32% are male users the rest females.
“Children use these media and we cannot stop them from doing so. What we need to do is to help them improve social skills and ensure they have a place they could refer to when they have issues,” Dr. S. Galappatti, psychiatrist from Sahanaya Foundation said contributing to the discussion. She also highlighted a number of physical and mental health issues that could arise among young users due to excessive engagement in social media.
Stating that one cannot point to social media as a main culprit in prompting suicide, a volunteer at the Sumithrayo Organisation, Jomo Uduman said that suicide was the result of a complex interaction of biological, psychological, social, cultural and environmental factors. In Sri Lanka 110 people attempt suicide every day while 10-12 people succumb to it daily. According to Mr. Uduman, although there was a decrease in the number of suicidal deaths there was an increase in the number of attempts.
He said it was important to come up with a research based, locally relevant evidence-driven suicide prevention programme in the country. Highlighting the important role that the media played in the prevention of suicide he said, research showed that inappropriate reporting of suicide may lead to imitative or ‘copycat’ behaviour, as one witnessed in February, referring to more than ten incidents reported that month.