THE Federal Government, FG, on Tuesday, reiterated its commitment towards the introduction of digital policies geared at encouraging and institutionalizing safer internet usage amongst children across Nigeria.
The Director of New Media and Information Security, National Communication Commission, NCC, Dr. Haru Alhassan, stated this at a Webrangers Summit, themed: 'Raising Online Safety Super Heroes', organised by Public and Private Development Centre, PPDC, in Abuja.
According to him, the Nigerian communication Commission and Federal Ministry of Communications and digital economy has established what we call Computer Incidents Response Team and this centre monitors the cyberspace for malicious activities, to detect all possible threats, attacks, viruses, malwares and to protect our children and telecommunications infrastructure and also to provide advisories to the general public on websites that could be harmful and to block unwanted contents unwanted websites.
"The Nigerian Communication Commission has developed what is called a unified national child protection policy and strategy. This document has fully outlined how the parents and children and general public, to guide them on the way to protect and conduct their manners online. So, that their identity cannot be stolen and so that threats that are going on online, the parents and children can also protect themselves.
"And, as I also said that the Nigerian Communication Commission has extended 622 line for communicating in case of child emergency cases will be communicated. We also have an email address for communicating by parents if their children encounters anything online at [email protected]", he added
He, however, called on parents to play major roles in ensuring that the lives of their children when using the internet are protected, adding that the government can not do it alone.
"Parents should be monitoring the activities of their children online from time to time. Don't just allow your child to just be going anywhere online because cyberspace is vast. If you allow your child to be accessing all websites, your child can get lost.
"And also the parents should not allow their children to be addicted online. Let's do a timetable for their children. You go online for these hours, then go to sleep for two hours if you allow your child without any guidance, the child can get lost", he warned.
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer, CEO, PPDC, Jubril Shittu, represented by Head of Communications and Knowledge Management, PPDC, Munachi Okoro, said: "The project is targeted at teenagers in secondary school who will campaign for the safe use of the
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internet in their communities. Our first step is to organise a workshop facilitated by our team where they learn about online safety.
"The program also seeks to share information and skills with them on how they can enjoy the multiple benefits that the internet offers while staying safe from harm and exposure to age-inappropriate content", she added.
On his part, an Information Technology, ICT, Office, Deeper Life High School, Abuja, Adeleke David, said the Federal Government lacked the needed policy to adequately protect children from harmful contents.
His words: "The federal government is doing its part but I want to say that that is not enough. I think the government should come out with a policy that will actually put everybody safe like we have some countries in the world that actually have some of these in place.
"Like in India, there are some sites that are not reachable, no matter how much you try. So, the same thing if you can have such policies, people that are uploading content online that are harmful to children would not go in that route to put up some things like that and I want to say that on the part of parents, we should be very, very much aware that the world is now in the palms of these children. So, as parents we have to be digital literate, and we should be up to date on what is actually going on out there."
Vanguard reports that the event witnessed the presence of students from different schools, to gain critical skills and knowledge around online safety.
