The Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) in partnership with YONECO, mHub, Airtel, TNM, and the Malawi Police Service conducted a series of school outreach sessions in Blantyre, Zomba, and Mangochi in commemoration of this year’s Safe Internet Day (SID).
The school outreach activities were organized to create a platform for children and young adults to discuss pertinent issues in relation to online safety and how various key stakeholders can ensure a safe digital space for all.
During the sessions, the students were made aware of various online issues and abuses like online fraud, Online Child Sexual Exploitation (OCSEA), misinformation, and cyberbullying. The participants were further encouraged to report any form of online abuse they face. Further to this, the students were also made aware of various negative impacts of online violence.
Kelious Mlenga, the Deputy Director of Consumer Affairs at MACRA, urged the students to be vigilant when using the internet and to be responsible digital citizens.
Safer Internet Day is commemorated annually to promote safe, responsible, and positive use of digital technology, especially for children and young people. This year, SID was commemorated under the theme; ‘want to talk about it? Making space for conversations about life online safety’.
The schools that participated in the sessions include the National College of Information Technology (NACIT), Zingwagwa, Chichiri, Zomba CCAP, and Mponda primary schools and Chichiri, Zingwangwa, and Zomba Catholic secondary schools.
