Cape Coast, Feb. 09, GNA – The Department of Children, under the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, has cautioned the public, particularly students, to be vigilant in their internet usage to curb online criminal abuses.
It said sextortion, cyber bullying, blackmail, sexting, money laundering, fraud and child pornography were unsafe online issues that could easily destruct, especially children, from achieving academic success.
Ms Ivy Amartey, the Central Regional Director of the Department, said this in an engagement with students on the Africa Safer Internet Day Celebration at Ekon, a suburb of Cape Coast.
The day, celebrated annually in 200 countries on the eighth day of February, is to create awareness on the positive and critical use of the internet among youngsters.
This year’s event is on the theme: “Together for a Better Internet.”
Ms Amartey said the theme was apt because it sought to educate all people to develop an intuition that detected unsafe materials as they navigated the online world.
It was sponsored by the Child Online Africa (COA), a child focused research and advocacy Non-Governmental Organisation that campaigns to influence policies and change practices that affect child protection online, wellbeing and literacy in Ghana and across Africa.
Warning on the dangers of online nudity, the Regional Director said sexting was the most common way the nudity of children, particularly girls, were discovered.
“Do not ever take or send any image of yourself that you would not want your family or friends see because such pictures could easily be shared from one source to the other,” she said.
She urged all to desist from child pornography, adding: “We know you have sexual drives at your age, and they are very natural, but you would have to exhibit resilience to everything you see.”
Ms Amartey said parents must opt for family link, an app that would help control their children’s internet access and monitor their daily navigation activities on phones and tablets.
As part of accessing the internet, knowledge level of stakeholders, a questionnaire was given out to stakeholders to ascertain the level of sensitisation young people went through before mobile devices were handed to them.
It was also to collect data on the current level of risk that children were likely to encounter when it came to internet access and usage.
On COVID-19, Ms Grace Mensah, the Assistant Programmes Officer of the Department, urged youngsters to strictly adhere to the protocols to guarantee their safety.
She said students must educate their families, neighbours and friends on the need to wear nose masks, wash hands regularly with soap under running water, and observe social distancing.
GNA