Internet: Blessing or curse for children?
With schools on lockdown during COVID-19 the internet, somehow, became a blessing for learners. At a click of a button, learners were able to connect with their teachers and, also, study in the comfort of their homes.
Yet as the internet was a blessing, it also, silently, turned into a curse, if you read the report by the Human Rights Watch (HRW).
In its post 2023 Covid-19 submission to the UN Committe on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, HRW found that the Malawi Government violated children’s right to privacy and other rights through online learning introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic as children’s data was being collected and sent to companies such as Facebook.
Yes, the report is subject to scrutiny, however, it presents an instance that cements the fact that despite being an enabler for Agenda 2063, ICT can also be a problem, especially among children.
In fact, UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore spoke strong, recently, about internet and child safety especially in developing economies such as Malawi. She underlined that while technology and digital solutions provide significant opportunities to keep children learning, entertained and connected, these same tools may also increase their exposure to a myriad of risks.
“Even before the pandemic, online sexual exploitation, harmful content, misinformation and cyberbullying all threatened children’s rights, safety and mental wellbeing. For children already experiencing harm or hurt – online or offline – the rise in screen time may have exacerbated their anguish.
“School closures, physical distancing, decreased services, and increased strain on already vulnerable families disrupted and reduced some of the protective measures available to them. At the same time, concern is mounting for children’s physical and emotional health, with some evidence suggesting that more time online is leading to less outdoor activity, reduced sleep quality, increased symptoms of anxiety and unhealthy eating habit,” she said.
A new global report from The Global Cybersecurity Forum (GCF) has equally found that 72 percent of children around the world have experienced at least one type of cyber threat online.
The ‘Why Children Are Unsafe in Cyberspace’ report, developed in collaboration with Boston Consulting Group, focuses on raising awareness on the critical issues facing the protection of children in cyberspace, at a time over 90 percent of children aged eight and above are active on the internet.
In its 2023 National Survey on Access and Use of Information and Communication Technologies by Households and Individuals in Malawi, the Malawi Communications and Regulatory Authority (Macra) finds that there is a substantial proportion of children who are accessing the internet with enormous exposure to cyber-attacks.
At national level, the report shows, about 4 percent of the children have access to the internet, something which is an increase from 2.5 percent recorded in 2019.
“The urban population has a higher proportion of children accessing the internet at 14.3 percent (an increase from 10.2 percent reported in 2019) than counterparts in rural areas at 2.7 percent (an increase from 1.3 percent reported in 2019) (Figure 11.1),” noted that report.
With that increase in access, comes the challenge of child safety and its appalling to note, according to the report, that most children who have access to the internet are not just talking to strangers; but they are also meeting them face-to-face after talking.
The report says around 31 percent of children reported to have ever met someone and there is a higher percentage of children in urban areas (about 35 percent) who ever met someone than in rural areas
at about 27 percent.
Further, the Macra survey also asked the children if they experienced any online incidents that bothered or upset them in some way. In general, says the report, 23.2 percent of children encountered such disturbing or upsetting online experiences.
“Analysis by place of residence shows that internet uneasiness declined in children resident in both rural and urban areas between 2019 and 2023. In rural areas, for instance, it declined from 25.7 percent in 2019 to 18.8 percent in 2023,” noted the report.
What is equally more pressing and an issue of concern is that the report reveals that the highest percentage of children do not report such incidents to anyone (46.1 percent) followed by those who report to a friend of their age (20.5 percent) and those who report to their mother or father at 16.1 percent.
How, then, can we make the internet much safer for the children?
Macra director general Daud Suleman says enhancing child online protection needs to be a multifaceted endeavor.
“First of all, children need to be educated about online risks and responsible behavior while online to ensure their safety. Parents need to be sensitized on the dangers or risks that children are exposed to while online. Service providers also need to play a crucial role by fostering safer online communities that prioritize child safety, allowing them to interact and learn with minimal online risks,” he said.
He added that enforcement of legal measures and consequences for individuals who are involved in cybercrime is essential.
One of Malawi’s child rights activists Boniface Mandele feels the situation is getting out of hand, hence the need for close monitoring of what children access on the internet and in video showrooms.
“We cannot deny children access to the social media but there is a need to ensure that they are safe. Our children face a lot of violence and, of late, the internet has been turning into one of the violent platforms child abuse,” he says.
Mandele adds that parents and community members should be vigilant in monitoring what children and young adults access on the internet.
“Children should, for instance, be advised to report to parents, teachers and other adults, including the authorities, whenever they receive requests from unknown people. To achieve that, there is a need for proper training on online threats,” he points out.
Meanwhile, Macra has just validated the Child Online Protection Strategy, which it developed with technical assistance from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
According to Macra’s Broadcasting Manager Matilda Kanjeri, the Child Online Protection Strategy was developed in response to the changing communication landscape, which has seen a migration of livelihoods to the cyberspace, placing children and young adults as one of the most vulnerable groups in society and requiring deliberate measures to ensure their online safety.
She adds that all adults, duty bearers and stakeholders are bound by common duty to ensure the protection of children from any form of exploitation.
“If we are to succeed in keeping our children safe online, then we all have to play our part,” she says.
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