BANGKOK, Thailand – The Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth), in partnership with UNICEF Thailand and other organizations, hosted Safer Internet Day Thailand 2026 (SIDTH 2026) and called on all sectors to collaborate to create a safe online environment for everyone.
ThaiHealth Manager Dr. Pongthep Wongwatcharapaiboon stated that the event was organized in collaboration with UNICEF Thailand, the Internet Foundation for the Development of Thailand, the Electronic Transactions Development Agency, and the Safer Internet Thailand network, under the theme “Too Good to Be True: Not Everything Seen Online Is Real.”
The initiative aims to promote safe, mindful, and responsible online media use among children and youth by strengthening digital and media literacy and building a healthier, safer digital ecosystem.
ThaiHealth outlined three key approaches: advancing legal frameworks to address emerging digital risks, strengthening youth resilience and digital well-being by developing young leaders as health communicators to monitor online threats, and promoting safe media values and practices through nationwide partnerships.
The foundation emphasized the need for cooperation among civil society, academia, the private sector, and government agencies. Key priorities include online threat surveillance, innovation support for vulnerable groups such as child-friendly SIM solutions, and responsible governance of artificial intelligence to protect the public from online crime.
UNICEF Thailand Representative Ken Legins highlighted that online harms to children are real and increasing, driven by both human actors and AI. He noted that an estimated three children in every classroom in Thailand have experienced online sexual abuse or exploitation, emphasizing the urgent need for collective action and safety-by-design measures to protect children online. (NNT)
