By Maureen Nakatudde
The first thing Roses Kirabo, 13, does when she wakes up is open her tablet computer. She opens various websites and gets absorbed in digital media.
“She wants to be online all the time,” Mary Namuddu, her mother, says. “When I assign her work around the house, she is always hesitant to do it. She doesn’t even produce good work because she always wants to go back to her IPad,”
Namuddu says her daughter’s love for this digital gadget keeps her from having fun with the rest of her family – which is based in Kampala – as she does not seem to have the ability to do away with the internet.
Today, more schoolchildren like Kirabo, who is in a primary school, are receiving lessons and accessing learning materials on digital platforms through various devices. The internet-enabled devices are now part and parcel of the learners’ lives.
Globally, governments like Uganda have developed policies to deepen the use of technology in learning. While technology aids learning, however, those gadgets in the hands of children also pose some dangers.
From being targets of criminals lurking in the digital space and failing to complete offline tasks due to addiction to technology to accessing content that could hurt the children’s physiological and mental health.
The 2019 study by the UN children’s agency estimates that one in three internet users globally is a child and that most children access the internet at home on mobile phones.
It shows that many children go online to watch videos and play games. But how can your children use this technology productively while staying safe from harm?
Tell children about dangers
Ken Stober, the chief executive officer at Simplifi Networks, an IT firm based in Bugolobi in Kampala, says your children will most likely encounter content that is irrelevant to them like pornography and graphic images of accidents as well as criminals online.
These criminals, he says, could get crucial information about your family through your children. However, if you have a good relationship with your children and have told them about possible dangers in the digital world, they will bring any suspicious content to your attention, Stober says.
The 2020 International Telecommunication Union (ITU) guidelines for protecting children online encourage youngsters to report to their parents if anyone asks them for a photo. They also encourage parents to use privacy settings on some websites and apps to keep their children’s information private.
“If your children feel they are in danger online, they will have the confidence to reveal to you any information that seems dangerous to them,” he adds. “It is also important to let your children know there is a lot of fake information online and encourage them to go to credible sites for information,”
A 2019 study by the UN children’s agency encourages parents to engage positively with their children about the digital world and guide them on content and potential risks instead of worrying about the fact that children are online.
This, the study says, would build the children’s ability to thrive online. Noting that internet access is not without risks, the UN children’s agency encourages technology companies to remove content which is harmful to children.
Passwords
Emmanuel Ssebaggala, the chief executive officer at Bodastage Solutions, a telecom network management platform, urges parents to encourage their children to use passwords to prevent criminal-minded people from accessing their sensitive information.
Stronger passwords include upper- and lower-case letters as well as numbers and unique characters. “Some people take longer to change their passwords yet they use simple ones,” Ssebaggala says. “Children should avoid using dates of birth, their personal names and names of villages to create passwords,”
One other problem your children face in the digital space is bullying. This, according to Stober, could affect their self-esteem especially if they do not bring it to your attention. “Talk about bullying with them and find ways of dealing with it so it does not affect them,” he adds.
Monitor children online
Aidah Nanono, a teacher of English at Sir Apollo Kaggwa Primary School in Nakasero, Kampala, encourages you to take a keen interest in the content your children access online.
This, she says, will help you understand, for instance, the non-academic content like entertainment your child is interested in and guide them appropriately.
Ken Stober, the chief executive officer at Simplifi Networks, an IT firm based in Bugolobi in Kampala, says during holidays, he ensures that their daughter completes her assignments on computers in “a common area” accessible to all members of the family.
“Let your children use technology in spaces where you can easily see what they are doing,” Stober says. “You can also be friends with your child on social media so you see what they post and advise them accordingly,”
Control access to content
Ambrose Ahurra, a telecom engineer, says you can use apps to help you control your child’s presence online. The apps, he adds, will not only help know how your child is navigating the digital space but will also enable you to guide them as they learn, play and explore online.
“You can have control over what apps they can install. You can block them from downloading some apps and accessing some sites like gambling websites,” Ahurra explains. “Such apps can also help you know where your child is at a particular time because you can see where their device is,”
With this kind of protection, he adds you can even cut internet access to your child’s device. “You can also determine the time your children should be online,” Ahurra adds. “With some apps, you can lock and unlock your child’s device,”
Aidah Nanono, a teacher of English at Sir Apollo Kaggwa Primary School in Nakasero, Kampala, says parents can help their children develop timetables for doing household chores and using technology to complete school-related assignments or for entertainment.
“This will help your children go online for a purpose at the right time. Encourage your children to use technology to join reading groups and quit or block groups where undesirable content is shared,”
Online and offline activities
Jenifer Kalule, the Uganda National Examinations Board’s principal public relations officer, says developing a schedule of activities for your children, especially during the holiday season, helps ensure they are not online all the time.
Kalule adds that you can also encourage the older siblings of your children to guide their young sisters and brothers on the appropriate use of these gadgets. “This can even be a cousin or a friend who can help them desist from going off course while online,” she says. “Sometimes children listen better to their age-mates or someone they respect and admire,”
Harriet Akello says she locks away the gadgets overnight and returns them to her children after they have done household chores the next day. The UN children’s agency encourages parents to guide their children on what they can do online and do some online activities together with their children. In addition, the ITU guidelines for protecting children online encourage parents to help their children balance online with offline activities.
Be exemplary
Lillian Tindyebwa, a lecturer of English and Literature at Kabale University, says if you cannot put away your phone to concentrate on offline tasks, it might be difficult to protect your children from getting addicted to gadgets.
If you are a parent who stays online “gambling, cursing and watching obscene” content, she says your children could follow in your footsteps. “Children need to have good examples and direction to ensure that they use the internet responsibly,” Tindyebwa adds.
In addition, if you are a parent, who is always typing on your phone at mealtimes and during conversations with your family members, you may not be setting a good example for your children on the proper use of gadgets. The ITU guidelines for protecting children online encourage parents to set good examples when using digital tools as children learn from what they see.
Mind your child’s age
Some gadgets might not only be inappropriate for your child but may also contain content which is not suitable for them. That is why Aidah Nanono, a teacher of English at Sir Apollo Kaggwa Primary School in Nakasero, Kampala, recommends finding out what gadgets and content are appropriate for your child before introducing them to this technology.
“Some gadgets may contain video games that are too advanced for your child,” she adds. “Even if your children get such these gadgets and content from friends, you need to find out if they are appropriate and put them away if they are not,”
Rewards
We all want to be rewarded for good conduct. So are the children. Ken Stober, the chief executive officer at Simplifi Networks, an IT firm based in Bugolobi in Kampala, says the children who use gadgets appropriately and complete their assignments within the time allocated to them need to be rewarded.
This, he adds, encourages them to continue using the internet productively. According to the 2019 report by the United Nations children’s agency, most of the activities children engage in online – even those deemed to be entertainment – are crucial for building digital skills.
It says children who engage in a wide range of online activities have more digital skills than their counterparts whose internet use is limited. The agency discourages parents from placing restrictions on internet use for their children, but instead encourages them to help the youngsters navigate the digital environment so they are “prepared for the future”
Benefits of internet use among children
– Learns something new through searches
– Accesses information on work and study opportunities
– Accesses news and information
– Encourages creativity as children can create blogs and music
– Encourages play
– Develops digital skills
– Connects with family and friends
– Learns about different cultures
– Encourages children to take part in conversations
– Platform to do schoolwork
– Accesses music
– Develops information-seeking skills
– Encourages collaboration with others
– Opens new ways to communicate and learn a skill
Source: UNICEF
Keeping your child safe online
– Understand the risks and opportunities
– Stay engaged in what children do online
– Find out about good websites and games for learning and entertainment
– Dialogue with your children
– Encourage children to be responsible digital citizens
– Encourage critical thinking about what children see online
– Talk about peer pressure and managing friends online
– Tell them about the addictive power of technology
– Encourage children to report offensive information
– Set rules for internet use
– Be role models for online behaviour
– Use in-built tools to know time spent on apps/services
– Teach children not to share passwords
– Stay calm and don’t confiscate devices from children
– Help children recover from bad online experiences
Source: 2020 ITU guidelines for protecting children online
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