A non-profit organisation, Webfala Digital Skills for All Initiative (WDSfaI), has called for improved awareness about internet safety and online security concerns among parents, teachers, and children.
Wale Bakare, the organisation’s co-founder and Director of Partnerships and Sustainability, made the call while addressing participants at a one-day workshop held in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, to mark the 2024 Safer Internet Day.
Attended by digital enthusiasts, parents, students and teachers from schools within Ilorin, the workshop themed ‘Inspiring Change, Making a Difference’ aimed at raising awareness of a safer and better internet for all, and especially for children and young people.
Bakare, who is also a digital rights advocate emphasized the need for stakeholders like governments, school authorities, teachers and parents to address online concerns to protect children and young people from potential online risks and get the most from their internet experience.
While educating the children on how they can safely navigate the digital landscape, the NGO boss warned them about the risks of interacting with strangers online, and also encouraged them to report to their teachers and parents any suspicious activity they encounter on the internet.
Bakare, who shared valuable insights on how parents and teachers can manage YouTube and search engines for children’s safe usage, stressed the importance of open communication between parents and children, noting that “guiding, not restricting, is key to fostering responsible online behaviour among children.”
“Without doubt, the internet is a force for good, but also holds some dangers for its users, particularly children and young people. This is why it is important that both parents and children are aware of the risks the internet can present such as cybercrime, cyberbullying, invasion of privacy, impersonation, and spread of fake news and hate speeches.
“The digital space is wide and knows no borders. As such, collective efforts are needed to ensure a safer, more inclusive, and secure internet for our children and young people. Relevant stakeholders like governments, school authorities, teachers and parents must come together to address online concerns to protect children and young people from potential online risks and get the most from their internet experience,” he said.
On her part, the founder of TrustElevate and digital identity author, Dr. Rachel O’Cornell, who joined the workshop virtually from her base in Europe, shed light on some of the current global issues around internet safety, especially recent United States Senate public hearing on Child Safety, involving CEOs of big social media companies like Facebook, Snapchat, Tiktok and X formerly called Twitter.
She also equipped the participants with strategies to discern truth from falsehood in the digital age while also sharing with them approaches for students and adults to manage their screen time and establish healthy digital habits.
The highlight of the programme was the unveiling of the WDSfaI’s Online Safety Superhero Handbook titled ‘A Kid’s Guide to Online Adventures’, providing valuable insights and practical tips for children navigating the digital world and findings of its research on ‘Strategies to Enhance Online Safety for Children in Nigeria, shedding light on effective measures measures to safeguard young users online
Hameed Muritala, the organisation’s director of Communications and Strategy, explained that “the handbook provides valuable insights and practical tips on how children and young people can safely navigate the digital space while the research report sheds light on effective measures to safeguard young users online.”
He disclosed that copies of the handbook and research reports would be distributed to schools across Kwara state.