TEHRAN – In Iran, about 20 million internet users out of 56 million users are below 18, deputy education minister for training Alireza Kazemi said, IRNA reported on Monday.

The children and young adults lack skills to cope with threats in cyberspace, he lamented.

“Nowadays the cyberspace is as important as family, school and society in training children,” he said.

The cyberspace has a crucial role in formation of characteristics of children, he explained.

People spends from 20 to 80 hours per week in cyberspace, which change sleeping time and encounter them to unnecessary information and issues, he said.

“We should try to boost skills of the students and families for using cyberspace at the schools,” he said.

Providing appropriate content is also important for protection of students from immortality in cyberspace, he concluded.

In mid-November, the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Ministry announced that it plans to introduce parental control applications in the near future.

According to a survey conducted by the ICT ministry, only eight percent of Iranian parents monitor their children’s online activity.

The survey revealed that Iran is not very successful in content creation for children and to control children’s online activity.

SB/MQ/MG