Shura Council puts forward views on’disadvantages of using technology’
QNA
Doha: The Shura Council held its regular weekly meeting at Tamim bin Hamad Hall on Monday, under the chairpersonship of Speaker of the Council H E Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim.
The Council reviewed the report of the Cultural Affairs and Media Committee on the request for general discussion submitted by a number of Council members related to the ‘disadvantages of using technology’.
Speaker of the Council Al Ghanim pointed out that technology has become an integral part of the lives of individuals and therefore, rationalizing and controlling its use have become inevitable as technology has taken on a global dimension, making the task of supervising it difficult.
His Excellency stressed that the lack of control over modern technological means or weakness of these means leads to health, psychological and social damage that casts a shadow on society.
During his review of the report, HE Chairman of the Cultural Affairs and Media Committee Mubarak bin Mohammed Al Kuwari referred to the meetings held by the committee to discuss the issue by inviting a number of officials and specialists from the relevant authorities and taking note of the experiences of countries in dealing with the cyberspace along with their measures to protect young people from the negatives resulting from the misuse of modern technology.
His Excellency stressed the need to unify and integrate the efforts of the concerned authorities related to issuing licenses, operating and monitoring technology means and programs, preserving societal values and national identity, protecting society and young people from the misuse of technology.
After extensive discussions, the Council decided to submit a proposal in the desire to the esteemed government on the ‘disadvantages of using technology’.
The proposal offered a number of views that would contribute to reducing the negative effects of modern technology, ensuring its proper use and raising awareness of the dangers of mishandling it, including: forming a joint committee of concerned parties to monitor and review applications and digital platforms used by young people, evaluating the content of these applications and platforms and ensuring their compliance with safety, security and privacy protection standards.
The proposal also called on the concerned authorities to increase and enhance awareness and education about the dangers of misuse of technology.
The proposal emphasized the need to support investment in research and development to understand the risks of using technology and develop effective tools and solutions.
The proposal in the desire pointed to the importance of strengthening cooperation with the private sector to develop policies and tools to enhance the safety of young people on the Internet, encourage companies to develop purposeful educational games and improve safety and security standards.
