The National Cyber Security Advisor, Dr. Albert Antwi-Boasiako says prioritising cyber hygiene among children is key to ensuring the safety of children on the internet.

That, he said, as the number of children on the internet keeps increasing, their safety ought to be prioritised by all key stakeholders, particularly parents and guardians.

He explained that a study conducted by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) indicated that about 70 per cent of school going children in Ghana use the internet for various purposes.

NCAM

Dr. Antwi-Boasiako was speaking at a workshop organised by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) in collaboration with the Ministry of Communications for parents and guardians on cyber security in Accra on Wednesday, October 7, 2020.

The workshop, which was on the theme: “Cyber Hygiene Best Practice for Parents and Children” forms part of activities for this year’s National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCAM).

The purpose of the programme was to educate parents on cyber security and how to monitor the activities of their wards on the internet. This is to ensure the safety of children whilst surfing the internet.

The month-long event, NCAM, which is on the theme: “Cybersecurity in the era of COVID-19” is meant to educate children, the public, businesses and government stakeholders on cyber hygiene best practices, consistent with the Safer Digital Ghana campaign.

The workshop brought together parents and other key stakeholders in the educational sector as well as some experts in the cybersecurity space.

Internet as a necessity

Dr. Antwi-Boasiako the emergence of COVID- 19 has made the use of internet necessary in people’s lives today, particularly school children.

That, he explained, that due the frequent use of the internet by school children, parents had additional responsibility to ensure their (children) safety on the internet against cybercriminals.

Role of parents

Speaking at the event, a representative from UNICEF Ghana, Mrs Hilda Mensah, a Child Protection Specialist, said parents are gatekeepers and have influence in the lives of their children.

That, she noted, it is expedient to ensure parental control on the devices children use, particularly the type of sites they visit when on the internet.

“Parents must see to it that their wards are using digital devices for the right purposes,” she stated, pointing out that despite the enormous benefits of technology, it also has negative implications as well.

Ms Mensah has, therefore, charged parents to ensure that their children use digital devices for the purposes for which such devices were purchased.

The Acting Director of the Department of Children at the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Mrs Florence Ayisi Quartey, said the cyber space has become part of our life and it is prudent for parents to supervise the activities of their children on the internet.

She also urged parents to build their capacity in order to enable them become conversant with the internet in order to monitor their children and ensure their safety on the cyberspace.

Panel discussion

The workshop was rounded up with a panel discussion where several issues concerning the practice of best cyber hygiene for parents and children were discussed.