is a responsibility that we all must take up. Role of Teachers
Teachers have the unique opportunity to shape digital literacy in a structured environment. Here are some practical steps that teachers can adopt with students:
Digital literacy lessons: Incorporate online safety into ICT, life skills, or social studies classes. Topics can include cyberbullying, spotting fake news, and protecting personal data.
Classroom discussions: Use real-life examples( age-appropriate) to show how online risks happen and how to respond. Just recently, there was a fake story after someone hacked Honorable Raila Odinga’ s X account- The story announced that Kenya’ s digital coin or token is about to be launched. As the market has been waiting for such an announcement the news spread like wildfire. It is only later that we were all informed that it was fake and that his account had been hacked. Using real examples of disinformation and misinformation will make it real for students. Students should be taught not to believe everything they read online.
Peer education: Empower students to lead campaigns or clubs on safe internet use- children often listen more to their peers. This will require deeper training of the peer educators to empower them with enough information for more productive discussions with their peers.
Cyberbullying policies: Schools should have clear reporting channels, counseling support, and zero tolerance for harassment. Teachers should teach students to be other students’ keepers. Protecting each other creates a shield of safety.
Role-playing: Practice scenarios- what to do if a stranger asks for personal info, how to respond to mean messages, or how to block / report harmful accounts.
Partnership with parents: Organize digital parenting workshops so both home and school reinforce the same safety messages. This is so important, an aligned message at home and in school strengthens the believability and adoption of the message by students. There should be a deliberate effort in organizing these workshops and parents should be encouraged to attend.
Link to career skills: Employers in their recruitment policies review the digital footprint of prospective employees. Show how responsible digital behavior builds a positive digital footprint for future opportunities.
Empowering Children Directly
Beyond protection, children should be empowered to self-regulate and be responsible digital citizens. Here are some practical ways to empower them:
Critical thinking: Teach them to question online content, fact-check, and avoid sharing misinformation. In Rotary we have the four-way test that if applied in life can be a guide to the things we say, think or do. It asks that we stop and reflect before acting by asking these four questions: is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build good will and better friendships? Will be it beneficial to all concerned? Often, we are quick to share online content without confirming if it is true and if it will be fair to those concerned if it is shared. Building these filters for our children will empower them as they engage online.
Resilience: Encourage self-confidence so they do not feel pressured to give in to peer pressure or online predators.
Reporting culture: Show them how to block, report, or seek help when they feel unsafe. Also letting them know they can ask us any questions makes it easier for them to alert us when they are concerned.
Digital responsibility: Emphasize kindness, respect, and empathy online.
Rights & responsibilities: Let them know they have a right to safety online- but also a responsibility to protect others from harm.
Most parents wonder if there are any practical tools that they can use to safeguard their children while online. Here we will unpack some of the easily accessible Parental Control & Monitoring Tools. My encouragement is that we give these a try for the benefit of our children or children under our care:
Google Family Link( Free)- This tool allows parents manage apps, set screen time, and see child’ s activity across Android devices.
Microsoft Family Safety- monitors screen time, filters web content, and track’ s location across Windows & Xbox.
Qustodio parental control app- blocks harmful content, tracks app usage, and sends alerts( it is a paid subscription product but powerful).
Net Nanny parental control app- filters inappropriate content, monitors social media, and sets screen limits.
Parents can also secure their children of a certain age by using child friendly browsers and apps e. g. YouTube Kids- curated safe video experience; Kiddle- a Google-powered child-safe search engine; Messenger Kids- controlled chat app where parents approve contacts; DuoLingo / Scratch / Tynker- safe learning apps that keep kids engaged offline.
Parents and teachers can also access a lot of material on Educational Platforms for Digital Literacy. Below are two such resources that are available:
Common Sense Media- this app has a section for‘ Parents’ Ultimate Guides with lesson plans, videos, and guides for parents and teachers on digital citizenship. Guides on YouTube, Instagram, ChatGPT, Minecraft, snapchat, etc.
UNICEF Child Online Protection resources- These resources have toolkits and guidelines tailored for different age groups.
In conclusion, children have a right to be protected and to be kept safe both online and offline. With the accelerated adoption of smartphones children are accessing social media much earlier. Child protection is a joint effort between parents, teachers, tech companies and the government. The Communication Authority of Kenya, the regulator of the telecommunication industry, is at the forefront of driving the campaigns on child protection.‘ Be the Cop’ is a campaign under the CA Child Online Protection program.
This program promotes online safety for children by equipping them and their guardians with the necessary knowledge and skills. The program involves collaborations with stakeholders and has created resources like the COP portal and the game Cyber Soljas to make internet safety fund and accessible for children.
For parents and guardians, if we are to protect our children while online, we must invest time in upskilling ourselves with the relevant knowledge, we must keep pace with technology and put in place tools to protect our children. We must win this war.
Fawzia Ali-Kimanthi is the Chief Consumer Business Officer, Safaricom PLC. You can commune with her on this or related matters on email at: Fawziakimanthi @ gmail. com.