Technological advancement provides children with access to the internet, social networks, and online platforms for learning, information gathering, peer connectivity, entertainment, and creative development. However, cyberspace also harbors numerous risks for children if appropriate guidance and protection are lacking.

Publicly sharing personal information, photographs, addresses, or private data online can turn children into targets of exploitation and fraud. Furthermore, minors may encounter inappropriate content or be enticed, lured, and incited into committing unlawful acts. Fraud schemes disguised through online games, social media networks, mobile applications, and friend requests are growing increasingly sophisticated and difficult to identify. Meanwhile, children’s capacities to recognize risks, protect personal data, and navigate situations remain uneven.

Given this reality, protecting children in the online environment cannot stop at merely blocking harmful content, but crucially involves equipping them with sufficient knowledge and skills for self-protection. According to Nguyễn Châu Sơn, Head of the Population and Children Office under the Department of Health, curbing cyber risks for minors requires prioritizing early prevention, equipping children with skills to spot abnormal signs, and teaching them how to refuse solicitations, disconnect, and seek support when confronting unsafe situations. Parents and caregivers must also elevate their awareness to promptly identify unusual behavioral changes, proactively offering guidance and assistance whenever issues emerge.

Reflecting the health sector’s role in community childcare and child protection, the Department of Health organized training sessions to upgrade competencies in population and child affairs for commune and ward health station leaders. The department also strengthened communications and instructed grassroots cadres on receiving information, detecting risks, and coordinating interventions to protect minors. The National Child Protection Helpline 111 has been publicized extensively across informational portals and social media channels of public agencies, units, and localities.

Practical experience demonstrates that coordination between local administrations and functional authorities is crucial in aiding children facing cyber hazards. A case in point is M.T.H., born in 2013, of Hmông ethnicity, residing in Nà Hỳ commune. Through conversations on Facebook, H. was enticed by an online acquaintance to travel to Quảng Ngãi province to seek employment and complied. Upon arriving in the locality, the child was promptly discovered and rescued by the Quảng Ngãi provincial Police. Subsequently, sociocultural cadres from Quảng Ngãi province escorted H. to Hà Nội, where the child was received by the Yên Sở Ward Police while awaiting family contact. Through National Child Protection Helpline 111, information regarding H.’s case was conveyed to Điện Biên’s health sector and local administration. The entities collaborated to verify identities, contact the family, and take necessary measures to return the child home safely.

Over the past eight months, the Department of Health received eight calls from Helpline 111 requesting coordinated support and intervention to protect children facing online risks. Immediately upon receiving information, the Department of Health dispatched documents requesting communes and wards to verify cases, monitor developments, and deploy protective measures where necessary. For cases requiring intensive interventions, the sector connected with the Sunshine House, Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation, the Provincial Child Protection Fund, and relevant organizations to secure targeted support.

Amid the rapid growth of social networks and digital applications, child protection faces mounting challenges. Online platforms are increasingly diverse, offering seamless connectivity and abundant content that remains difficult to regulate entirely. Meanwhile, a segment of families has not paid sufficient attention to equipping children with life skills, digital literacy, and self-protection capabilities; parental guidance and companionship during internet use remain limited.

Safeguarding children in the digital environment must therefore be conducted on a continuous, proactive basis, starting from the children’s own skills. When children know how to identify risks, protect themselves, and reach out for assistance; when parents proactively partner, listen, and guide; and when state agencies, localities, and social organizations coordinate swiftly, cyberspace will serve as a safer environment for children to learn, connect, and thrive.