DODOMA: MORE than 1.8 million children have been reached with education on online safety, as part of efforts to protect them from abuse, exploitation and other digital risks. This was said yesterday by the Deputy Minister for Community Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups, Engineer Maryprisca Mahundi while responding to a basic question from Special … The post Over 1.8 million children reached in online safety push appeared first on Daily News .
**DODOMA: **MORE than 1.8 million children have been reached with education on online safety, as part of efforts to protect them from abuse, exploitation and other digital risks.
This was said yesterday by the Deputy Minister for Community Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups, Engineer Maryprisca Mahundi while responding to a basic question from Special Seats MP, Lucy Kombani (CCM), who wanted to know measures government was taking to protect children from online violence amid growing social media use.
The campaign has covered all 26 regions of Mainland Tanzania, targeting children, parents, guardians and the wider community with education on safe, responsible and child-friendly use of digital platforms.
“Through the campaign, more than 1,811,212 children have been reached with education on online child safety,” Ms Mahundi said.
She said government was working to ensure children benefit from technology while being protected from violence, abuse, exploitation and other digital-related harm.
Eng Mahundi said a National Advisory Committee on Online Child Protection and Safety had been established to provide technical advice and support the development of strategies to prevent and address risks children face online.
“The committee brings together stakeholders from different institutions, including the ministry responsible for information and communication technology, to strengthen coordination in addressing online risks facing children,” she said.
In a supplementary question, MP Kombani asked how the ministry was ensuring emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, would not become a source of online violence against children.
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She also asked what measures ensured devices such as phones and tablets used by children could not access or download content that exposed them to online violence.
Responding, Eng Mahundi said the advisory committee would continue discussing ways to manage technology-related risks while ensuring children benefit from digital developments.
She said technology could not simply be removed from children’s lives, as they were increasingly familiar with digital platforms and, in some cases, more knowledgeable about technology than their parents.
“The focus should be on ensuring children use technology safely, while strengthening cooperation among institutions responsible for child protection and technology,” said Eng Mahundi.
The Deputy Minister called on parents and guardians to take a greater role in monitoring children’s use of digital devices, saying they should know which apps and programmes their children access.
“Parents and guardians should remain close to their children and monitor the devices they use, including the programmes and content they access,” she said.
Eng Mahundi said closer parental supervision was important, as children could unknowingly expose themselves to harmful content or share inappropriate material online, with long-term consequences.
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