President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi recommended forming a national research committee to set a strategy to deal with social media sites in the session titled “Social Media: Saving or enslaving users” on Nov. 5, the second day of the World Youth Forum.
“Social media outlets must be used positively and developed countries must deal with social media challenges in a way that does not affect the security and stability of other countries,” Sisi warned.
Sisi described the internet as a sign of human development, adding that ways to increase its positive impacts and decrease its disadvantages should be discussed.
The president asserted that any trial to fight social media sites will not be successful.
“In 2010, I delivered a speech, saying that the development of social media will have a dangerous effect on Egypt and the Arab region in general and that’s what proved to be true later; the country was not ready to face its dangers,” Sisi said.
He also warned about how, he said, the spreading of rumors has evolved through social media.
"Nevertheless the fault is not in the social media, it is in the fact that we are not ready to use it properly," he said.
The roundtable panel on “Social media: Saving or enslaving users” featured 15 experts and prominent figures on social media from all over the world, including researcher in social media and mental health Bailey Parnell, multidisciplinary artist Arwa Abounoun, specialist in digital security Christine Adero, specialist in media networking Khawla Al-Hawi, and Egyptian national security expert Khaled Okasha.
This year, the forum’s events revolve around a vision inspired by The Seven Pillars of the Egyptian Identity, a book by Egyptian author Milad Hanna written to emphasize the unity and harmony of Egyptian society despite differences, according to the official website of the forum.
Around 5,000 youth are participating in the events.
The first World Youth Forum took place last year, also in Sharm El-Sheikh, which has been described by Egyptians officials as the “city of peace.”
