PROTECT YOUR CHILDREN FROM CYBERBULLYING

The NCCE’s District Director at Oforikrom, Vera Ofei, has cautioned parents and guardians to monitor the activities of their wards in cyberspace. During an engagement with spouses of the Ministers Association of the Assemblies of God Church, Ms. Ofei explained the adverse effects of the use of the internet on the youth. She mentioned that children are exposed to cyberbullying and the risk of sharing sensitive personal information. She charged the group to speak to their wards on the benefits of using the internet for information gathering, educational purposes, communication, and entertainment among others.

Ms. Ofei cited a study conducted in 2017 by the United Nation’s International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) which revealed that 70% of adolescents have access to the internet out of which 40% have sighted explicit content and 20% of them have had physical meet-ups with individuals they only met online.

She admonished members of the Association to advise their children to be careful of people they meet online and make it their responsibility to monitor their online activities.

The Secretary of the Association, Mrs. Dora Acheampong, expressed gratitude to the NCCE and commended the Commission for Education. “We appreciate the knowledge shared with us and we will endeavour to make our children live a healthier life on the internet while keeping them away from harm’s way”, she added.

The staff of the Oforikrom Office of NCCE also interacted with different groups including students, identifiable groups, and Faith-Based Organisations (FBOs).