In modern times, wanting a moment with a baby as young as two years old, they would instantly reach out for your phone instead of a smooch or a peekaboo.
Many parents would find it amusing and fascinating that their kids are glued on their online devices watching “Baby Shark” or “Cocomelon. “ These are undoubtedly great online shows that contribute to the child’s cognitive development in early childhood. But as the child grows older, they become more prone to using online devices, and become tech-savvy. It’s for this reason that parents feel the need to get their children their own devices and navigate the internet away from their parents’ supervision as they grow older. On average, children aged two to 17 spend about two hours per weekday on their screens worldwide. Although this might not seem like too much screen time according to international standards, this amount of time can significantly impact a child’s online safety.
Online child safety is an issue that many people overlook, especially African parents, as children are often left to surf the internet without proper control and monitoring.
A 2022 report by the Disrupting Harm Project indicated that in Namibia, close to 9% of the children between the age of 12-17 who use the internet have experienced online sexual exploitation or abuse. This is primarily composed of grooming, sextortion and the sharing of non-consensual images.
A 2016 UNICEF study in Namibia indicated that 68% of children reported encountering sexual online content unintentionally. Meanwhile, 31% of the children received sexually-explicit images from strangers, and 29% came across content related to child sexual abuse.
Namibia’s Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare, alongside UNICEF,in 2020 raised a concern in the rise of online child sexual exploitations. One of the high-profile cases recorded was that of Johann Wickus Maree who was arrested in 2020 for recording and disseminating child pornography involving eight boys, and sharing them online. This might be the only official recorded case in Namibia, but it does not take away the issue of online child protection and the unreported cases continue to increase.
Why child online safety?
Child online safety is very important because it protects children from being victims of bullying, sexual exploitation, and harassment. These kinds of online exploitations can have a huge impact on a child’s mental health and social wellbeing. An increased screen time leads to social anxieties and loneliness, leaving kids feeling unwanted or unloved.
With unsupervised online presences of children, they can be exposed to online sexual predators who take advantage of children by grooming them, and making them rebellious against their parents.
Children get exposed to bad and dangerous online challenges; one notable case was an online challenge called “Momo Challenge” which gained worldwide attention. The challenge involved a distorted face appearing in videos or messages instructing kids to preform harmful tasks, including committing suicide.
It is also important to monitor children’s online activities to identify any form of cyberbullying. Cyberbullying, like any other form of bullying, can take a significant toll on a child’s mental health, leading to thoughts of suicide and unwarranted self-harm. Notably, children are easily exposed to online peer pressure, and they end up doing things that they were not supposed to do, if it was not for the contents they see amongst their peers.
Monitoring
Just like a child needs some form of monitoring and control in their lives until they are of legal age, it is also important to monitor and control their social media presence, including their online chats, comments, etc.
By doing so, parents have a chance to flag and report unwanted contents, and report suspicious accounts to the relevant authorities.
Parents can use certain tools to monitor their children’s online activities including chats, comments, etc. Apple devices (iOS) can make use of screentime, while Android devices can make use of Google Family link. This are free inbuilt application which allows tracking and monitoring of app usage and setting limits to access certain apps.
Platforms such as the commonly-used online streaming services like YouTube and Netflix have options to create kids-friendly accounts. This automatically create and arrange content suitable for kids’ view.
Lastly, parents should not overlook the importance of monitoring their children’s online social activities, because the internet is full of content that could have a huge impact on children’s mental wellbeing. Parents should be proactive in managing and monitoring their children’s online presences.
This can be done by installing monitoring tools on their children’s devices, which also allow remote control from their phones away from their kids’ devices.
* Kondjeni Ndakeva is a Data Scientist, Software Developer and Database Administrator with a master’s degree in data science. He is passionate about leveraging data to drive impactful decisions and improve democratic accountability in Namibia.