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The Vietnamese government is taking significant steps to address the pressing issue of online child safety amid the rapid increase in internet usage among its youth. With 24.7 million children in Vietnam and many starting to use the internet very early – four years younger than the global average – the government is acutely aware of the need to safeguard its young digital users.
On average, Vietnamese children begin using the internet at just 9 years old, significantly younger than the global average of 13. While digital connectivity offers numerous benefits, it also exposes children to substantial risks.
According to the Ministry of Information and Communications’ Vietnam Cybersecurity Emergency Response Teams (VNCERT), over 48% of Vietnamese youth have experienced cyberbullying, and more than 13% have been exposed to unwanted online pornography. These statistics highlight a troubling trend: many children lack the skills and awareness necessary to navigate the digital landscape safely.
A recent report from the Management and Sustainable Development Institute (MSD) indicates that 70% of children use the internet for over an hour daily. Among them, 43.4% spend between 1 to 3 hours online. Despite parental supervision – 80.8% of children’s internet usage is known to their parents – nearly half of children reported that they or their peers have encountered inappropriate content or felt uncomfortable online.
The national report “Disrupting Harm in Vietnam – Evidence on Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse” reveals that 23% of children aged 12-17 occasionally encounter sexual images or videos online, and 5% receive unwanted sensitive images. Additionally, 8% of children have been subjected to uncomfortable sexual comments, while 2% have been asked to discuss sex against their will. Alarmingly, 43% of these children chose not to report these incidents, doubting that action would be taken.
In response to these issues, Vietnamese authorities have initiated investigations into over 380 cases related to child abuse and harmful content, involving more than 550 individuals over the past three years. Efforts have also included blocking 30,000 pornographic websites and disabling tens of thousands of harmful links.
The National Children Protection Hotline 111, managed by the Department of Children’s Affairs (DCA) under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA), has fielded 1,500 calls regarding online issues, including 419 on child abuse.
Despite increasing internet coverage in various regions, the protection of children in these areas has not received adequate attention. Leo Thi Lich, a member of the National Assembly’s Council on Ethnic Minorities, emphasises the need for greater focus on safeguarding children from cybercrimes in these regions.
“The internet coverage rate is increasing in mountainous and ethnic minority-inhabited regions, but the protection of children from those regions on cyberspace has not received due attention,” Leo Thi Lich said.
The Director of the DCA, Dang Hoa Nam, stresses the urgent need to enhance legal protections for children in cyberspace. He advocates for comprehensive legal regulations and greater educational efforts to equip children with the knowledge and skills necessary for safe internet use.
“As children are prone to fall into the traps of cybercrimes, it is urgent to complete legal regulations on child protection in cyberspace,” said Director Dang Hoa Nam.
To address these challenges, the Ministry of Information and Communications is revising regulations to improve online safety for children. The draft decree aims to strengthen social network management, monitor children’s internet usage, issue warnings about harmful content, and outline the responsibilities of educational institutions in safeguarding children online.
As Vietnam continues to embrace digital technology, it faces the critical task of ensuring that its youth are protected in the online environment, aligning with broader goals of internet safety and child welfare.
