Nightmare As Kenyan Parents Struggle To Control Online Content For Their Children

The government has decried increasing cases of children accessing inappropriate content following the closure of schools over the COVID-19 pandemic. ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru noted that there has been significant increase in the use of technology over the past three months as most of the learning is taking place online.

As people continue using technology, families are straining to understand how to manage and control how their kids are using either mobile devices or laptops. The government has directed that the Communications Authority work extremely closely with Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to ensure that children are protected online and parents learn how to filter websites from harmful content.

According to CS Mucheru, within the next 7 days, the Communication Authority and ISPs will be expected to give a very clear roadmap on how to train internet users to ensure that the Kenyan ‘cyberspace is safe’.

Parents should know that there are methods of controlling what is viewable for the young people. The media has played a big role for the content they have been releasing. It’s been good to see that for the educational content a lot of that is being provided by broadcast media both TV and radio and that is really helping families keep children occupied.

According to the United Nations, children are accessing the internet at a younger age, spending longer online and are at greater risk of cyber bullying as the COVID-19 pandemic keeps them at home. It is estimated that 1.5 billion children are out of school due to lockdown measures to stop the spread of the new coronavirus, forcing them to go online for their schooling but also their social lives and hobbies.

Many children are coming online earlier than their parents had intended, at much earlier ages, and without the necessary skills to protect themselves whether it is from online harassment or cyber bullying. The other thing is the length of time children are spending online whether simply for schooling or for entertainment, gaming, socializing after their learning is completed.

Experts say there are two important things parents can do to protect their children from the dangers of online: Pay attention to their internet habits, and teach them how to surf the web carefully. As parents, we have to constantly be vigilant.

If you notice any warning signs, where they are spending more time online or on their phone, especially at night, there are calls coming in that seem to be out of the ordinary, go look at the history, see what’s going on.

Parents should keep their child’s computer or tablet in a common area when they do their online work and for older students, keep a close eye on any unusual charges. With many students now doing remote learning from home, Friend said it’s also important for educators to help protect children from online abuse.

Teachers should keep the scope of assignments narrow and make sure the website they are instructing students to visit are trusted. We encourage parents of the young ones to have full access to the student’s online credentials. Children should never share any images of themselves or a classmate with anybody online.

Let them know that you can see where they go on the Internet, and whom they’re contacting on social media. Explain that this is the cost of their using tech. They will complain, but they will trust you, and in the long run they will develop self-control.

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