Online technology presents many possibilities for children and young people to communicate, learn new skills, be creative and they contribute to establishing a better society. But they can also bring new risks such as exposing children to issues of privacy, illegal content, harassment, cyber bullying, misuse of personal data, grooming and even child sexual abuse.

At the global level, it has been estimated that one-in-three children is an Internet user and that one-in-three Internet users is a person under 18 years of age. Although the number of African children online cannot be compared to their contemporaries in other continents. Research has shown that there is increase in the number of African Children online.

I will like to state at this point that the present children grew up with the Internet. This means they understand that “the Internet has always been here with us”. It is the NORMAL for them. To the grown-ups “the Internet appeared”, it is very STRANGE. While some adults are trying to catch up with the internet, majority have given up.

Do we now understand a child’s perception of the internet as against that of an adult? This is why a child cannot understand why his parents are stopping him from using the internet. Among children and young people, the most popular device for accessing the Internet is the mobile phone. Children and young people prefer using mobile phones because they can carry it around everywhere; they do not have to share it with other household members; it can fulfill several functions at the same time, such as texting, talking, clicking and sharing pictures, and surfing; and it is always on.

What are the things children are being likely to use the internet for?

• To connect with friends, families and make new friends
• To create contents: some of the online contents (Videos, games, etc) that children find and value are created by other children
• To search for information: children learn new things, find out about their studies, source for news and get informed about coming events.

However, in doing all these, children are exposed to new risks when online, which could lead them to harm. They may come across information on how to self-harm or commit suicide. They can also be confronted with hate speech or material of a violent or sexual nature. It is very important at this point to note that risk does not always lead to harm.

Children and young people exposed to online risks may not suffer harm if they have the knowledge and resilience to cope with the experience. Therefore, it is important to identify who among them are most vulnerable to online harms and what it takes for risks to be translated into harms to effectively protect children online without unduly limiting their opportunities.

So what are the new and emerging risks or Challenges children are exposed to online?

• Exposure to illegal and/or potentially harmful content, such as pornography, gambling, self-harm websites and other content inappropriate for children. In most cases, operators of these websites do not take effective measures to restrict access of children and young people.
• Exposure to contact with other users.
• Self-harm, destructive and violent behaviors.
• Exposure to radicalization and racism and other discriminatory speeches and images.
• Relying upon or using inaccurate or incomplete information found online, or information from an unknown or unreliable source.
• Creation, reception and dissemination of illegal and harmful content with adult impostors posing as children.

Now to the most important aspect of this Webinar. Since we have noted the risk and harm children can be exposed to while online, there is need to provide guidelines for parents, guardians and Stakeholders, which they can use to help teach children on how to have a safe, positive and valuable experience while online.

These are the guidelines

• Take an interest in what they are doing online, have a conversation with them. It is important that children and young people do not feel that their parents don’t trust them. Filtering, monitoring and restricting access is important but it must happen alongside dialogue and discussion. Since when children and young people are spending time with others outside the home, they will have access to other (possibly unrestricted) devices, hence, the need for good communication.
• Starting with devices, identify all the devices in your home that are connected, including mobile phones, laptops, tablets as well as smart televisions, gaming consoles used across the family.
• As soon as children and young people begin to use technology, discuss and establish a list of agreed rules. These rules should include when children and young people can use the Internet and how they should use it, as well as expectations of screen time.
• Be aware that advertising can be inappropriate or misleading. Talk to your children about how they can report ads and take more control over what they see online. It is important to recognise that what children and young people see online can influence their views. Engage with them to help them to develop their online media literacy.
• Children need to understand that the online world is a reflection of the offline world – with good and bad experiences. It is important that children and young people feel confident that they can ask you for help and support if something has gone wrong as well to be able to provide support for others online.
• Explain to your children that photographs can reveal a lot of personal information. Children
• and young people should understand the risks of using cameras and uploading content. Ideally, images of others should not be uploaded without their consent. This should include parents taking and uploading images of their children. We lead by example.
• Lastly, many devices, apps and services can be used to make purchases and carefully manage access to parental accounts with stored payment mechanisms and credit cards.

Let me share this little story

There is this story of a boy of 13 years who mistakenly disclosed her Grandma’s ATM card number online. The teenage boy with his family was on a visit to the Grandma, who was preparing for her retirement ceremony. A day to the D-day, the boy picked up her Grandma’s phone, logged into a website requesting for payment access. Unfortunately, the Grandma has her ATM details stored on Google (in the cloud); the boy accepted the payment request and the Gratuity money of Grandma was wiped off. This is why it is important to keep your credit and debit cards secure, and do not disclose your pin numbers in order to prevent unauthorized access.

Thank you for having me here. My experience on this platform has been wonderful. I take a bow

Facilitated by Olaronke Oyadiran, the project manager of ROTDOW.