Access to the digital space in Africa is increasingly expanding, and many of those coming online are children –defined as ‘all those under the age of 18’. It is estimated that worldwide 1 in 3 internet users is a child, and more than 175,000 children go online for the first time every day – a new child every half second.
In Africa, it is estimated that 40% of youth aged between 15-24 years can access the internet. With children getting connected to the digital world so too the risks that the online world brings to children have grown. The COVID-19 pandemic increasingly drew African children to the online world, with some accessing the internet for the first time. Online risks are present 24/7 through devices that enable access to the internet. The situation is exacerbated for children with special needs and disabilities. The international child rights community categorizes online risks to children into 4 categories – content, contact, conduct and consumer/contract risks (4Cs).
The African Union Child Online Safety and Empowerment Policy assesses the opportunities and risks related to digital access for children in Africa, as well as the factors influencing child online safety. The Policy then sets out the key cross-cutting issues to deliver on children’s rights in the digital environment and identifies 10 policy goals for the Continent, ranging from developing institutional capacity and reviewing legal and regulatory frameworks to ensuring corporate responsibility and investing in education and training.
Marking the endorsement of the African Child Online Safety and Empowerment Policy by the Executive Council of the African Union during its Forty-Fourth Ordinary Session from 14 – 15 February 2024 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, H.E. Dr Amani Abou Zeid, AU Commissioner Infrastructure and Energy lauded the policy saying, “Africa pioneers in being the first region in the world to devise policy for protecting, empowering and ensuring the safety of children online.
