Maiden edition of Child-In-Tech conference launched
The first Child-in-Tech conference which is expected to create awareness to enable children to know the proper use of the Internet has been launched in Accra.
The conference which has the theme: “Empowering Children in the Cyber Space,” is being held at the Accra Digital Centre.
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Speaking at the launch, a Deputy Minister of Communications, Mr Vincent Sowah Odotei, said the government was putting measures in place to protect children online.
He, however, urged schoolchildren to be responsible while they used the Internet and desist from engaging in illegal activities.
“I urge you all to protect your privacy in the digital space as you do in the physical space.
Do not make friends with just anyone you meet on the Internet and don’t open unsolicited mails,” he added.
The Child Online Protection Lead at the National Cyber Security Centre of the Ministry of Communication, Dr Nana Kofi Annan, advised children to use the Internet to learn and moderate playing games on the Internet.
He also urged the schoolchildren to be ethical and not use vulgar language at anytime while they were on the Internet.
“I advise that you do not share so much information about yourself, especially your location on the Internet.
Bad people can easily track your whereabouts and harm you,” he stressed.
Dr Annan also cautioned parents to stop posting videos of their naked children on the Internet because that could negatively affect the image of the children in future, pointing out that the children could in later years take those parents to court as a result of that.
In an interview with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Naksam Solutions, Mr Frank Prince Baiden, he said children were easily exposed to dangers on the Internet since they often gave private information about themselves and that of their families.
The conference, he said, was to strengthen Child Online Protection and ensure that children were safe anytime they used the Internet.
“We are putting plans in place to make this an annual event. We will visit schools and also make sure that we provide avenues to receive responses from the schoolchildren,” he added.
The conference was organised by Naksam Solutions in partnership with the Ministry of Communications and the Ghana Education Service (GES).