Creating "resistance" for young people against the "storm" of bad and toxic information

In the flow of the 4.0 industrial revolution, social networks have become an inseparable part of life. However, besides the benefits and positive values, social networks are also a fertile ground for bad, toxic, and distorted information flows, which increasingly seriously affect the perception, behavior, and life skills, especially for young people. In Quang Ninh, a dynamic locality with a young population and high level of access to technology, the urgent requirement is to create

A strong "firewall" to protect young people from harmful information on the internet.

The Cyber ​​Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention Department (Provincial Police) investigates crimes in cyberspace. Photo: Le Nam

“Dark wave” on social networks

The explosion of social networks brings many opportunities for connection but also entails serious consequences. Offensive videos , content inciting violence, and widespread fraud are negatively affecting the awareness and behavior of young people. Not only causing harm to morality and psychology, these toxic contents also pose many risks to social security. With just a click of the mouse or a swipe of the screen, a series of shocking, sensational videos immediately appear, reaching millions of people in a short time.

With more than 70% of the population using the internet and social networks, of which teenagers account for a large proportion, Quang Ninh is one of the provinces with the highest cyberspace coverage in the North. But that also makes the youth here vulnerable to the dark side of technology. Toxic content disguised as entertainment, humorous trends, even hiding under the guise of knowledge... is poisoning the mental environment of teenagers every day.

Not only does this content temporarily arouse curiosity, it also penetrates the minds of viewers. It erodes traditional moral values, distorts behavior, and pushes many young people into dangerous spirals such as violence, social media addiction, or even fraud.

Every day, it is not difficult to come across videos with offensive content on Facebook, TikTok or YouTube. These can be short clips showing excessive nudity, staged arguments and fights to attract attention, or vulgar, provocative statements that cause controversy. More dangerously, many of these contents are promoted as a trend, attracting millions of views and comments.

Students of Quang Ninh Medical College access and share information from the zalo page "Quang Ninh Medical College".

Many students share that they spend 4-6 hours a day surfing TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook. But instead of accessing knowledge, most of their time is spent on violent, sensational clips, negative games, and even videos that distort history, mock moral standards, and subtly refute politics. More dangerously, many teenagers do not have the skills to verify information and are easily manipulated by "internet idols" and "influencers" who spread false information, promote a hedonistic lifestyle, indifference, and justify their deviant ego.

According to a survey by the Vietnam Institute of Educational Sciences, more than 60% of teenagers have been exposed to unhealthy content on social networks. When deviant behaviors are repeated in videos, they unintentionally become normal in the eyes of young people. Dangerous challenges such as fighting to attract views, stripping friends to tease, or defaming others just to increase interactions have gradually become alarming trends.

Along with that, social networks also cause serious psychological damage. Research by the American Psychological Association shows that constant exposure to negative content increases the risk of anxiety and depression in adolescents by up to 30%. Many children are haunted by negative information, falling into a state of panic, losing faith in life, and even isolating themselves. Many heartbreaking cases have occurred when children were lured into participating in dangerous online challenges, leading to unpredictable consequences.

Social networks are a place that hides a lot of bad, toxic, and provocative information. Photo: doanthanhnien.vn

In addition to the psychological impact, sensational videos have also become a tool for bad guys to exploit and lure users into scam traps. A report by the Ministry of Public Security shows that more than 70% of online scams are related to advertising and clickbait videos on social networks. Many teenagers, out of curiosity, participate in online betting and fake investment applications, leading to loss of money and debt. Some children are also drawn into cybercrime rings, unintentionally becoming tools for illegal activities...

Enhance "resistance" for young people

In order for young people to access social networks effectively, the issue is not "banning" or "escaping", but instead helping young people live together, live correctly and live responsibly in the digital environment. Accordingly, the authorities of Quang Ninh have closely coordinated and synchronously deployed many solutions, from education, propaganda to building a healthy digital environment, to create a generation of "digital citizens" who are active, integrated but still brave and alert to false information.

Youth Union members of Hong Gai ward exchanged ideas and amendments to the Constitution.

Typically, since 2022, the Provincial Police have pioneered in coordinating with a number of departments and branches to deploy the model "Safe use of social networks for students" at 4 schools in Ha Long City (old), including: Quang Ninh Medical College, Hon Gai High School, Nguyen Binh Khiem Secondary School, and Continuing Education Center. This model focuses on propagating and disseminating laws related to cyber security, helping students identify the tricks of bad guys, and know how to protect themselves from false information. To date, this model has been replicated in many schools across the province.

The Provincial Youth Union plays a key role in guiding the thoughts and actions of union members and youth. Specifically, it launched the "Culture of using social networks" movement and deployed online models such as learning tools and political theory training, including lessons on identifying the impact of social networks. In addition, it maintains columns such as "One good news a day, one beautiful story a week" on social networking platforms, aiming to spread positive values, creating a healthy flow of information to "use beauty to eliminate ugliness".

In particular, through the movement "Each member and youth is a cultural nucleus", the Youth Union - Association - Pioneer Committees at all levels in the province have promoted the organization of many practical action programs, creating an environment for members and youth to promote their role as the main subject in building a cultural life.

In particular, the communication campaign "Youth volunteers, creatively participating in developing culture and people rich in Quang Ninh identity" launched at the end of 2024 has attracted a large number of union members and young people to respond. The trend "Quang Ninh in my eyes is..." - one of the two key activities of the campaign has spread strongly on digital platforms with more than 4,200 communication products created by young people themselves, contributing to promoting the beauty of culture, cuisine, tourism and people of Quang Ninh...

The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, together with the press and media agencies of the province, focus on producing high-quality, accessible content that appeals to young people to guide public opinion. This helps young people have more official and reliable information channels to learn about events in the province and the country, thereby avoiding being lured by fake news.

Posts of the cultural media trend "Quang Ninh in my eyes is..." received hundreds of thousands of interactions on social networks. Photo: Chu Linh

To prevent young people from being misled on social networks, extracurricular programs and specialized activities on cyber safety and digital ethics are integrated into the school system, from primary to university. Instead of just being taught theory, students participate in seminars and forums to discuss real-life situations, from how to recognize fake news, protect personal information, to handling forms of cyberbullying. This helps young people not only master knowledge but also form critical thinking and self-protection skills in cyberspace.

Departments, branches and localities also actively build official and reliable information platforms on social networks to provide timely and accurate information. Local press and media agencies focus on producing high-quality, accessible and attractive content for young people. At the same time, encourage young people to become positive content creators, spreading beautiful images of the country and people of Quang Ninh. This not only helps to push back negative information but also arouses pride and love for the homeland in each young person.

Officers and soldiers of the provincial military exchange, share and comment on positive information on pages and groups of the Military Region and the provincial military.

To improve educational effectiveness, close coordination between authorities, schools and families is also emphasized. In particular, state management agencies will strengthen supervision and strictly handle violations. At the same time, parents proactively accompany and openly talk with their children about issues on social networks. This synchronous combination creates a multi-dimensional protection network, helping young people to be fully equipped with knowledge and skills from all three sides.

Quang Ninh’s efforts are not just a temporary solution, but a long-term strategy, aiming to build a generation of young people with courage, who know how to distinguish right from wrong and use social networks in a civilized and effective way. Improving the “resistance” of young people is the best way to protect them from negative impacts, while promoting the power of social networks in building the homeland and country.

Hoai Anh

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/tao-suc-de-khang-cho-gioi-tre-truoc-bao-thong-tin-xau-doc-3370131.html