SEACOM’s consumer-focused, fibre to the home (FTTH) and fibre to the small business offering, WonderNet, is launching a ground-breaking campaign to shine a light on cyber wellness, cyber safety, and the importance of healthy digital habits. In partnership with Cyber Safety Change Agent and SaveTNet founder Rianette Leibowitz, the company hopes to educate customers about the importance of online safety, and enable them to be responsible digital citizens. The initiative will focus on cyber wellness in the home, office, and at school.
Demystifying cyber wellness and cyber safety
Consumers might be familiar with terms around cybersecurity, cyberattacks, and cyberbullying, but ‘cyber wellness’ is relatively new. However, WonderNet believes that as our physical and digital lives become increasingly intertwined, it’s a concept that needs to be understood and applied. The Cyber Wellness for WonderNet campaign will demystify cyber wellness, providing trusted information and practical tools on how to create healthy digital habits.
Content will be available on the WonderNet website, covering everything from how to manage screen time to digital detox tips and information about the latest phishing scams. Articles, videos, and tip sheets can be downloaded from the WonderHub. On Cyber Wellness Wednesdays, weekly tips will be shared and customers can participate in in-depth conversations and explore monthly topics further in quarterly Cyber Awareness webinars (open to the WonderNet community). There will also be monthly school talks presented by Rianette, as well as various community outreach programmes. WonderNet hopes to empower their customers so that work teams, families, and learners across South Africa can take control of their digital safety.
The impact of cyber wellness
Online safety goes beyond digital security solutions. While it’s important to protect your IT infrastructure and systems, WonderNet is taking steps to help consumers protect their digital wellbeing, too. With a history of SEACOM bringing the Internet and connectivity to African businesses and individuals, WonderNet’s products create an environment for the safe, responsible use of that Internet.
“We have a responsibility to educate people about the products we sell, and enable them to use them safely,” says Matthew Campbell, Head of SME and FTTH at SEACOM. “At the moment, ISPs aren’t doing enough to create awareness around safe digital habits and cyber wellness. And, with the number of connected homes in South Africa expected to rise from 38% today to 49% in the next five years, that has to change. There are dire consequences to unhealthy digital habits and, to protect our customers, we need to keep them informed. We can’t simply focus on the bottom line.”
This is where cyber safety and cyber wellness expert, Rianette Leibowitz, comes in. As a champion for cyber awareness and wellness, she brings first-hand knowledge and expertise to the initiative. “The Internet can be a scary place,” says Rianette. “My company, SaveTNet, was established to create awareness around safe digital habits and help victims of cybercrimes. We deal with the hard stuff.”
In a 2018 report by research company Ipsos, South Africa ranked highest in the world for the prevalence of cyberbullying, with 54% of parents who participated in the study claiming to know at least one child in their community who had been a victim of cyberbullying. The Cyber Wellness for WonderNet campaign hopes to address this growing issue, as well as the many other negative consequences of unsafe digital habits, from overstimulation and reputation damage to burnout.
“By combining our offerings, we can add more value for the customer and put the wellbeing of communities and business in the centre of what we do. Backed by a trusted company like WonderNet, we can reach more people and go even further in our efforts to create cyber savvy, responsible digital citizens,” concludes Rianette.
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