What better way to make people aware of the dangers of the Internet than through a song, asks Neya Saravanarajan, a student from the city who has secured the fifth place in the Google Web Rangers Contest conducted for school students across the country.
The sixteen-year-old student of DAV Higher Secondary School enrolled for the Web Rangers Contest when she was a student of Class 10 from the Hindu Senior Secondary School in 2015.
“I decided to spread awareness about the dangers of the Internet through a song I had penned. With the help of sketches and the song, I made a video. Having heard so much about cyber crime and seeing an increase in the number of cases recently, I felt there was a need to spread awareness about it at a time when people are constantly engaged with posting personal information online,” she said. Her song, ‘Mr Two Faces’ depicts the dangers of connecting with a stranger in the virtual world. The song is also about how important it is to know about filters and privacy settings, which can be tweaked to ensure a safe and secure browsing experience.
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“More Internet users in their teens are susceptible to online predators as they are tempted to constantly share personal information,” Neya added.
The Google Web Rangers Contest, was held in 2015 and had participants from nearly 5,000 schools across the country. Students from Hyderabad, Pune and Ghaziabad are among those who have also bagged prizes alongside Neya. The contestants were asked to submit any piece of work — such as drawings, videos, songs and in-school campaigns to highlight issues regarding cyber crimes and bullying.
Chetan Krishnaswamy, Country Head, Public Policy and Govt. Relations, Google said that the company had aimed to empower people in the country to make responsible choices online and with the right tools and knowledge.
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“The web rangers support peer-to-peer learning with a practical approach to the web instead of a fear-based aversion to the online world,” he said.
Her song ‘Mr Two Faces’ depicts the dangers of connecting with a stranger in the virtual world