Prevent children in the growing digital environment

 KENYA: 

Over the past two decades, Kenya has been experiencing tremendous technological developments with the Covid-19 pandemic accelerating further.

The rampant technology has seen children adopt it for education and interaction purposes. There has been a dramatic shift in how children socialize and learn. This is not only in Kenya, it is estimated that one in three children is an internet user in the world.

Despite the advantages the technology has presented, it is evident that it is exposing children to inappropriate content, which includes violence and sex.

This is mostly encountered on social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp where strangers force children to sexual abuse by sending nudes.

Studies indicate that more than 12 million Kenyan children have online access to adult pornography. This is done using friends' and parents' phones and school computers.

National Plan of Action to Combat Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (OCSEA) report reveals that out of 21.9 children in the country, 55 percent have widespread access to pornography and are vulnerable to sexual exploitation.

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Apart from pornography, copycat is another monster that is facing our younger generation. Children, through the internet, are adopting various lifestyles, some of which are dangerous. Therefore, for instance, if a child fails to copy a certain lifestyle, mostly luxurious, s/he ends up in the stress of how to attain it.

Accessing pornographic content raises the desire for them to engage in intercourse since it is prohibited; they deploy dangerous means to get it. Some end up contracting HIV. At the end of it all, they are psychologically affected.

This raises concerns to have robust discussions about the impacts of the digital world on children's mental health.

Kepios analysis shows that there was an astronomical increase of internet users in Kenya by 1.6 million, which is equivalent to 7.4 percent between 2021 and 2022.

By January this year, there were 23.35 million individuals subscribed to the internet, which represents 42 percent of the total population. This is heavily contributed to the steadfast efforts of the government to enhance technology in the country with the FY2021/22 ICT and Energy sectors were allocated 332.86 billion making it a regional technological leader.

Therefore, leading in technological advancements is a breakthrough; however, another urgent breakthrough is required in understanding the effects occasioned by the digital environment on children's mental health and how to solve them.

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However, this should be done in a balanced way considering the positive impacts of technology. The Internet is a source of mental health information. Children who are languishing in loneliness can find the company on social media.

This, therefore, calls upon the joint efforts of government, educators, caregivers, tech companies, and children themselves in promoting their mental health.

It should be noted that now it is difficult to completely ban children from accessing the internet. If parents do, school computers are available, if schools do, friends' gadgets are available. A good number of them own the gadgets behind the back of their parents.

As the Communication Authority of Kenya and tech companies are in the run to promote the positive use of technology, parents, educators, and caregivers should engage children on how to maximize its use positively.