The Center for Cyber Awareness and Development (CECAD), yesterday unveiled a child online protection debate, as part of efforts to safeguard the Internet, especially among the Nigerian students.
The debate was unveiled at a Cyber Security Awareness Forum, the Non-Governmental Organization organized in partnership with the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), as a commemoration of this year’s World Safer Internet Day.
According to the Executive Director CECAD, Dr. Bayero Agabi, the essence of the debate among students is to highlight the dangers of uncontrolled Internet access for children, adding that children are experiencing cyber bullying and have unrestricted access to pornography.
“At CECAD, we discovered that the uncontrolled access to the Internet poses a dangerous risk, just as the benefits are huge to our children. That is why we decided to bring students, especially those in secondary to showcase to them how best to surf the Internet without being harmed,” he said.
Bayero, a Journalist cum enterprenuer quoted a recent report, which shows that every second, 28,258 internet users are viewing online pornography, and the average age of a child’s first exposure to pornography is 11 and that a total of 90 percent of children between ages 8-16 have pornography online.
He noted that the vulnerability of children in the cyber space gave rise to the issue of child online protection, which he urged need a global approach that would help reduce the access of children to materials that are harmful to them on the Internet.
Safer Internet Day is organised each year to promote safer and more responsible use of online technology and mobile phones, especially among children and young people. This year’s theme is ’Create, connect and share respect: A better internet starts with you’.
As a maiden edition of the child online protection debate, Princeton College, Surulere won in the keenly contested debate among five secondary schools in Lagos State, including Grace High School, Gbagada.