Media Urged To Intensify Online Child Protection Campaign
The Cyber Security Authority (CSA) has urged the media to intensify public education and awareness campaigns to protect children from growing threats in the digital space.
The Authority said children were increasingly exposed to cyberbullying, online grooming, sexual exploitation, harmful content and privacy violations due to their growing use of social media, gaming platforms, messaging applications and other internet-enabled services.
The Principal Manager of the Law Enforcement Liaison Unit of the CSA, Theophilus Botchway, made the call during a two-day media training organised under the National Community Media Cyber Capacity Building Project (NCMCCBP), Kumasi Cohort.
The training was aimed at strengthening the capacity of media practitioners to report effectively on cybersecurity, cybercrime and child online protection.
Mr Botchway said while digital technology had created opportunities for education, communication, business and social interaction, it had also created new avenues for criminals to target vulnerable people.He identified children as particularly vulnerable because of their extensive use of digital platforms, sometimes without the knowledge or maturity to recognise potential dangers.
He therefore called on journalists to use their platforms to educate children, parents, teachers and the general public on online grooming, sextortion, cyberbullying, sexual exploitation and other forms of cyber-enabled abuse.
Legal Protection
Mr Botchway drew attention to provisions of the Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038), which provide legal protection for children against various forms of online exploitation and abuse.
He cited Section 62, which criminalises various forms of conduct involving indecent images or photographs of children, including taking, producing, procuring, publishing, streaming and possessing such material.
He said Section 63 also prohibited the use of online services or electronic devices to seduce, solicit, lure, groom or entice a child for unlawful sexual conduct.
Section 65, he added, addressed cyberstalking of children in circumstances involving attempts to arrange sexual activity.
According to him, the provisions demonstrated that protecting children online was not only a responsibility of parents but also a legal, human rights and public safety concern.
Responsible Reporting
The CSA official cautioned journalists against sensationalising cases involving children, stressing that irresponsible reporting could expose victims to further trauma, stigma and abuse.
He urged media practitioners to protect the identity, privacy and dignity of child victims and avoid publishing photographs or details that could lead to their identification.
Mr Botchway further encouraged journalists to adopt preventive journalism by explaining how cybercriminals operate, identifying warning signs and providing information on how victims and potential victims could seek help.
He said cybercrime reports should educate the public on threats such as phishing, online investment scams, impersonation, mobile money fraud, romance scams and sextortion.
Misinformation
Mr Botchway also urged the media to strengthen efforts to combat misinformation and disinformation, particularly content circulated through social media and other digital platforms.
He said manipulated videos, fabricated screenshots, fake websites and artificial intelligence-generated content were becoming increasingly common and required journalists to exercise caution before publication.
He urged journalists to verify sources, independently confirm claims and authenticate photographs and videos before publishing them.
He further advised media practitioners to distinguish allegations from established facts, give affected persons the opportunity to respond and promptly correct errors.
Mr Botchway stressed that the media remained a powerful tool for public education and prevention and should therefore use its influence to promote safer digital spaces, particularly for children and other vulnerable groups.
