MUAR: The National Social Council will draw up an action plan to address the problem of Internet addiction among the people, especially students.
Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) vice-chairman, Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said the decision to draw up the plan was made in a recent council meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
“This Internet surfing addiction issue cannot be ignored … we fear it will become a social problem if not addressed immediately, and lead to crime. Some students have abused this facility by continuing to surf the Internet without sleeping at night and finally, it will disrupt their studies when they do not do their homework and sleep in class,” he said.
He was speaking to reporters after giving a talk on crime prevention at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Saint Andrew here today.
Lee said all parties should assist the government in addressing the problem, especially parents.
“Parents need to know what their children are doing at home and should not let them abuse the Internet facility,” he said.
In this regard, Lee suggested that schools provide special programmes to shape identities among students, including helping them interact positively with their peers.
Meanwhile, there has been a 17 per cent decrease in the number of students involved in crime during the past year as compared to 2013, according to Bukit Aman police statistics.
Lee said that in 2014, the number of students involved in crime was 2,073. In the previous year, the number stood at 2,483.
He said among the highest recorded cases last year were motorcycle thefts (809), inflicting injuries (269), rape (232), murder (eight), gang robbery without firearms (120), robbery without firearms (15), housebreaking and theft (206), snatch thefts (eight), stolen lorries and vans (four) and car thefts (18). — Bernama