Cyber Safety Awareness Framework for South African Schools to Enhance Cyber Safety Awareness

Abstract

Nowadays Information Communication Technology (ICT) is so entwined in our daily lives that the cyber user finds it second nature to use the Internet to accomplish their daily activities. The Internet has not only opened many opportunities to the cyber users but also introduced the cyber users to cyber risks and cybercrimes. It is important for cyber users to become cyber safety aware to protect themselves. However, there is currently a definite lack in South Africa for cyber safety awareness and cyber education. It is of utmost importance that South Africa as a developing country start creating and implementing cyber safety awareness policies, procedures, measures and initiatives for the education of all cyber users within South Africa. To include cyber safety awareness in the South African school curriculum is one strategy for improving online safety among cyber users. A literature study was conducted, where the research used searches for phrases with ‘Cyber Safety Awareness’, ‘Education’, ‘Schools’, ‘Policies’ and ‘Frameworks’. The aim of this research is to determine what policies, procedures and measures a school needs to have in place to enhance cyber safety awareness of the school learners within a South African school environment. This research then proposed a theoretical framework that can be used to create and enhance cyber safety awareness.