Today’s children are born into a cyber first world. By age 2 some are using smartphones as pacifies for boredom and more often than not, this gives them the first taste of the internet. The internet can be a great place for learning and educational games but unfortunately, it is also riddled with pitfalls that children’s young minds cannot comprehend. They would not know for instance how to deal with cyber bullying, and this can bring about severe damage to their mental health.
Threats range from exposure of personal data and privacy to harassment and cyberbullying, harmful online content, grooming for sexual purposes, and sexual abuse and exploitation. The need for a safety mechanism for children online cannot be emphasized enough as we bring up our young ones in a world where danger in at their fingertips. A safe environment for children to grow in is the responsibility of all of us, not just parents.
One such initiative that is aimed to keeping children safe is an online game that has been launched by the Communication Authority of Kenya (CA). The game dubbed “Cyber Soldjas” targets children aged between 4 to 14 years old. Children within this age group learn better through action and repetition, best delivered through games.
The game is aimed at guiding the children through a maze of potential dangers online and also teaching them how to protect their identity, personal data, recognise sites containing harmful content and finally develop a critical approach towards information found on the Internet.
The game has five levels based on vulnerabilities and risks on the Internet, including cybercrime, identity theft, fake news and catfishing.
According to data by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), 20.6 million Kenyans aged three and above own a mobile phone. Most of these gadgets are in the hands of youth aged between 25-34 who hold 6.1 million handsets. They are followed by those aged between 18-24 with 4.6 million mobile phones, while another 44,777 mobile phones are in the hands of children aged between three and four.
The CA Director-General Ezra Chiloba however, noted that increased access to the Internet and digital technology also poses significant challenges to children and the youth, including their safety.
The online game will complement other previous initiatives such as Child Online Protection (COP), ‘BE The COP’ microsite, that the Authority has put in place to create safer cyberspace for children. The Authority has also adopted a multi-stakeholder approach to ensure that children and future generations are protected and empowered to thrive in digital environments.
Mrs, Maureen Mwaniki, Director, Women in Technology at Huawei-Kenya said that the private sector has an important responsibility and an important role in ensuring a safer Internet.
“To provide digital skills at a large scale requires efforts from all stakeholders in society and we are committed to working with partners from CA, government, industry, non-profits and academia to do this,” noted Mrs. Mwaniki.
The device manufacturer also has specific software and hardware for children that ensures they can access the Internet safely and several digital skills training programmes that incorporate online safety, for example, the DigiTruck that targets the under-served youth in rural communities teaching online safety every day with other partners.
The Safer Internet Day began as an initiative of the European Union Safe Borders project in 2004 and is today celebrated in close to 130 countries around the world.