Singapore is one of the most highly-wired countries in the world. According to the International Telecommunications Union’s 2012 Global Internet Report, Singapore ranks fourth in the adoption of high-speed broadband, behind Korea, Hong Kong and Japan. The same report also puts Singapore at the front of the pack when it comes to mobile broadband adoption.

Given the borderless nature of the Internet, the Government is focused on public education to help people navigate the media environment, especially the Internet, safely and responsibly.

MDA has been supporting this effort through cyber wellness and media literacy education, in particular working with schools to equip students with the knowledge to navigate cyberspace responsibly and safely. To take this effort even further, the Media Literacy Council (MLC) was also formed in August last year.

The MLC was established with 21 members appointed by Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for Communications and Information (then Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts). MDA took on the role of the secretariat of the council. (www.medialiteracycouncil.sg)

MLC works closely with various community
groups and schools on a series of initiatives
to promote responsible digital citizenship such
as the 10^th Global Safer Internet Day

The council was tasked to spearhead public education programmes and initiatives on media literacy and cyber wellness. With support from MDA, the council marked Singapore’s inaugural participation in “Safer Internet Day”, a global initiative that originated in Europe, with a Youth Conference comprising panel discussions involving speakers such as well-known bloggers and youth counsellors. The council also plans to reach out to students in schools through their co-curricular activities, incorporating media literacy into schools’ orientation programmes and by developing readily-accessible information resources for parents and the general public.

As secretariat, MDA will continue to support the council’s programmes to build awareness of media literacy issues and inculcate astute consumption of media offerings and responsible participation on media platforms.