About a month ago, 5-year-old Nguyễn Văn N., living in Tổ 23, Him Lam ward (Điện Biên Phủ city, Điện Biên province), exhibited strange behaviors such as frequent blinking, crying, irritability, insomnia, and a lack of interest in playing with friends. His family took him to the provincial General Hospital for a check-up. After examination, the doctor diagnosed that his symptoms might be related to excessive phone usage. Constant exposure to screens, especially before bedtime, had severely impacted his sleep, behavior, and social interaction.

Nguyễn Văn Linh, N.’s father, shared: “During the day, he still goes to school, but in the evenings, my wife and I work late, and sometimes, feeling exhausted, we let him play on the phone for easier management. At first, he would watch cartoons for just a few minutes, but then he wanted to watch longer. There were nights when he held the phone the whole evening, barely eating, and staying up late. When he was not allowed to watch, he would get angry, cry, or even throw things. What worries us most is that he has become more isolated, talking less with family and friends.”

In addition to health issues, social media also harbors more serious risks for children, especially the danger of being deceived or lured into dangerous situations. A case in point is 16-year-old Giàng Thị A., from Nà Khoa commune (Nậm Pồ district). A young man she met online deceived her by showing pictures of his wealthy sister working across the border and promised her a light job with high wages. Trusting his words, A. decided to follow him to Lào Cai province and then cross the border. However, when she arrived, she realized she had been sold. In a foreign land, A. suffered abuse and hard labor until she was luckily rescued by authorities after managing to escape near the border area.

This case illustrates how, without supervision and timely guidance, children can easily become victims of online risks. These threats don’t just come from malicious individuals, but also from websites, online games, or virtual relationships with strangers on social media platforms like Zalo, Facebook, and Telegram, which can blur children's ability to differentiate between right and wrong.

Nguyễn Cao Thương, Deputy Head of the Division of Culture and Family under the provincial  Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, stated: “In response to the risks posed by the online environment for children, authorities have implemented various solutions, with a particular emphasis on raising awareness and education. The focus of these efforts is to warn and guide children and their families on how to avoid online scams, cyberbullying, and other dangers, especially via social media. These efforts have been integrated into community activities, local broadcasting systems, and cultural programs to spread the message to the wider public.”

At the grassroots level, many creative communication activities have been launched to directly engage children. For example, at the end of April, the Mường Ảng Women’s Union held a competition to raise awareness of communication initiatives related to children's issues, involving hundreds of students from local secondary schools. The competition featured various forms of expression, such as skits, poems, and quizzes, focusing on themes like combating violence, child abuse, children's rights to play and learn, and safe social media use.

Nguyễn Thúy Hà, President of the Mường Ảng Women’s Union, said: “The competition was not only a chance for students to showcase their understanding of children's rights and related issues but also helped raise community awareness of the importance of listening to children’s voices. Through this, we aim to promote the role of families, schools, and society in creating a safe and supportive environment for children to grow, especially in the context of the growing influence of social media on all age groups, including students.”

In parallel with awareness-raising activities, as directed by the provincial People's Committee in Plan No.32/KH-UBND dated August 12, 2023, regarding the protection of children in the online environment, as well as the Ministry of Information and Communications’ Code of Conduct on protecting children in cyberspace (Decision No.88/QĐ-BTTTT on January 21, 2025), the authorities have organized several training sessions for teachers and parents. These initiatives aim to establish channels for receiving feedback from the public, enhance the monitoring of social media platforms, and develop inter-sectoral coordination mechanisms to effectively address emerging issues. These measures have helped improve the capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to online threats to children.