February 11, 2019

Together for a better internet

editor:	Bob Koigi

The suicide of a 14-year-old British teenager in 2017 following what her family attributed to viewing content promoting depression and suicide on Instagram has brought to light the growing danger that lurks online, despite more people now more than ever, including children, having access to the internet.

There has never been a more dangerous time to go online like today as new threats including cyberbullying, pornography, kidnapping and spying become more advanced. Caught in this web are children and young people who have easier access to the internet thanks to impressive gains in penetration and availability of digital technologies.

Data indicate that up to 94 percent of youth in developed countries and 65 percent in developing ones in the 15-24 year age bracket are online. Yet they remain greatly exposed and easy to harm due to their vulnerability. Up to 70 percent of them, for example, are affected by cyberbullying, UNICEF posits, even as psychologists insist that social media is becoming a catalyst for depression.

With the world celebrated Safer Internet Day on February 5, the campaign advocating for safer and more responsible use of digital tools matters now more than ever.

This year’s theme ‘Together for a better internet’ speaks to humanity to take an individual role in ensuring digital rights and freedoms are enjoyed by everyone without causing harm. It is a wakeup call to governments the world over to adopt legislative tools that champion safer internet for all.

The Lanzarote Convention remains the guiding light in the amorphous and fast-evolving digital world. It compels states to criminalise activities of adults who use the internet to harm children sexually and further criminalises any actions that promote children exploitation online. More legislation of that nature is desperately needed.

Even as digital companies promise to address emerging issues as they respond to moral panic, as has been the case with Instagram and Facebook in their latest changes, the ultimate call is with governments to crack policy, regulatory and oversight while remaining alive to changing global digital trends.