Jarrah launches national campaign on dangers of internet addiction

Notre Dame University (NDU) on Monday launched a national campaign on "the dangers of addiction to the Internet and technology”, under the auspices of Information Minister Jamal Jarrah, at the ministry's headquarters, in presence of NDU University President, Father Pierre Najm, and other concerned officials and dignitaries.

The aforementioned campaign comes as part of a social initiative launched by NDU under the auspices of President Michel Aoun.

In his delivered word, Minister Jarrah, thanked father Najm for this "valuable initiative that will create a state of awareness among the Lebanese about the dangers of Internet addiction."

Jarrah deemed the Ministry of Information the best place to meet and address a topic of this importance. “The mission of the media is not only to convey news and images, but its main task is to interact with social issues and try to help people find solutions,” Jarrah said. 

The minister also regretted that Internet addiction had become a problem for parents, Internet users, and the community as a whole. 

“Today, our children are separated from their community and their parents, and they are fully attached to Smart Phones or tablets. They are not aware of, or even interacting with their surroundings,” Jarrah said, sounding the alarm on “some applications that may lead to ending of the lives of users.”

The minister went on to express the readiness of the Ministry of Information to participate and provide all the necessary facilities for the success of this initiative, noting that the ministry will resort to expert advice in this area to come up with a scientific vision and a scientific result.

“The aim is not to prevent people from using the Internet, but to use it for the right purposes. We want to create a state of awareness among people about the need to deal with this issue responsibly to avoid the dangers of Internet addiction," Jarrah concluded.