Authors: Dorcas Tsebee, Patricia Boshe and Ridwan Oloyede
Introduction
The digital age has transformed how we live, communicate, and learn, especially for younger generations. Across Africa, the rapid expansion of Internet access and mobile technology offers vast opportunities but also introduces significant challenges, especially for children. As children increasingly spend more time online, they face heightened risks, including exposure to inappropriate content, cyberbullying, and now risks associated with artificial intelligence (AI)-powered technologies such as chatbots. These emerging threats highlight the need for robust online child protection frameworks and initiatives across the continent.
The Urgent Need for Child Online Protection in Africa
Africa has the largest young population in the world, with an average of above 50% of the population. The current youth population is higher than any other continent and is projected to double by 2050. Parallel to this, internet usage in Africa has grown substantially in the past five years and is projected to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by 377.3 million users (+51.79%). Among internet users in Africa, youth (between the ages of 15 and 24) constitute 53% of the users. This does not factor in the younger population below the age of 14 years who have access to and use the internet daily. These numbers, coupled with a surge in Internet usage among this age group and ever-increasing technological sophistication, increase their susceptibility to online risks and vulnerabilities. While these advancements present educational and social opportunities, they also expose children to risks with serious consequences. For instance, there have been alarming cases globally, including AI-induced misinformation leading to self-harm, cyberbullying incidents, and personal data exploitation.
Beyond immediate threats like cyberbullying, harmful content, sexual abuse, and online grooming, AI algorithms and targeted advertising can also influence young users in detrimental ways. AI can be used to manipulate emotions, monitor behaviour, and even encourage addictive online behaviours, leaving children susceptible to potentially dangerous situations. An example is a recent incident involving a 14-year-old teenager who tragically took his own life after being emotionally manipulated by an AI-powered chatbot. According to the mother, the teenager spent countless hours engaging with the chatbot, and this interaction became increasingly addictive, involving romantic emotions, which led to the young boy taking his life. These emerging issues have heightened the need for education and protective measures that can address both the immediate and evolving risks associated with technology and child online presence.
These concerns drive a compelling case for a stronger focus on protecting children online through education, advocacy, safeguards and establishing appropriate policy and regulatory frameworks focused on child online protection.
Regulatory Responses Across Africa
Recognising these threats, African governments and regulators have taken meaningful steps to enhance child online protection through new laws, policies, and guidelines. These efforts build upon the foundation laid by the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, which guarantees children’s rights to protection, provision, and participation. This Charter provides a crucial framework for developing specific measures to protect children online, such as ensuring their right to privacy and access to age-appropriate information. At the regional level, the East African Community (EAC) has published a Child Policy and a Framework for Strengthening Child Protection Systems, which incorporate online safety provisions. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) adopted a Child Policy and Strategic Action Plan (2019-2030) that includes provisions for promoting safe online spaces for children.
Furthermore, the African Union adopted the landmark Child Online Safety and Empowerment Policy at the continental level in February 2024. This policy provides comprehensive guidelines for addressing online risks, promoting digital literacy, and empowering children to participate safely and responsibly in the digital world. These initiatives demonstrate a growing commitment to safeguarding children’s rights and well-being in the digital environment, guided by the principles enshrined in the African Charter.
At the national level, some countries have taken proactive steps to address child online safety. Some countries have enacted cybercrime laws that specifically prohibit online offences against children, such as child pornography, grooming, solicitation for sex, and abuse.[1] These laws also address other cybercrimes that can impact children, such as cyberstalking and cyberbullying. These offences carry significant penalties, including fines, imprisonment, or both, underscoring the seriousness of these crimes.
In addition to these legal measures, some countries have taken proactive steps to address child online safety. An example is Ghana’s National Child Online Protection Framework, a comprehensive approach to creating a safer digital environment for children. The framework aims to promote a secure, responsible, and sustainable cyberspace that encourages the participation, protection, and promotion of digital literacy among children. Rwanda has published a comprehensive Child Online Protection Policy and issued a ministerial order outlining protections and responsibilities for various stakeholders. These instructions emphasise practical measures like age verification and content filtering to safeguard children in digital spaces. In addition, Rwanda published ministerial instructions that set out protections and responsibilities for stakeholders regarding children’s online safety. Nigeria’s Communications Commission is developing a Standard Procedure for Child Online Protection to enforce online child protection measures in Nigeria. Also, Tanzania recently enacted the Child Protection Laws (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act, strengthening the legal landscape for online child protection. The country has also launched a child online protection initiative to educate the communities about their roles in protecting children online. These efforts underscore the ongoing commitment to creating and maintaining a safer online space for young users.
Moreover, data protection laws across Africa have incorporated specific provisions for processing children’s data, requiring stricter safeguards to protect privacy, including considering their specific contexts. For example, countries like Botswana, the Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Eswatini (Kingdom of Swaziland), and Tanzania Data Protection Acts classify minors’ data as sensitive.[2] Further demonstrating this commitment to child online safety, some laws require a data protection impact assessment when processing children’s data to ensure no risks to their rights and freedoms. This trend aligns with the growing recognition of children’s rights in the digital sphere, echoing principles enshrined in international instruments like the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. These principles emphasise the right to privacy and the paramount importance of the ‘best interest of the child’ in all actions concerning them.
Furthermore, many African countries incorporate specific provisions to protect children online within their child rights laws and data protection frameworks. These provisions often include requirements like age verification and “gating” mechanisms to restrict children’s access to inappropriate content.[3] This multi-layered approach aims to create a safer and more protective online environment for children while upholding their rights in the digital age.
Additionally, although each country may define a “child” differently regarding age, most laws designate a consenting authority for processing children’s data. Most countries require consent from a parent, guardian, or the court, in some cases, before children’s data can be processed (where consent is the lawful basis for processing).[4] This approach reinforces the idea that adults are critical in protecting children’s online and offline experiences, particularly regarding data handling, privacy, and online interactions.
Collaborative Efforts to Protect Children Online
Beyond regulatory responses, there is a growing recognition that child online protection requires collaboration from all sectors of society. Parents, guardians, educators, carers, and communities play indispensable roles in promoting safe online behaviours and fostering resilience in children. Adults are essential partners in preparing children for a digital world, from teaching them to recognise harmful content to helping them understand privacy risks.
Collaboration extends to private sector players, internet service providers, and social media platforms, which can implement safety features and enforce policies prioritising child protection. At the recent Global Privacy Assembly 2024, stakeholders emphasised the need for best practices in youth privacy and social media usage. These discussions focused on privacy harms and the future of youth privacy and protection. For example, Kenya’s Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) expressed concern over how much time children spend on unsupervised social media and their effects.
Awareness and Education as Key Elements
Awareness and education are essential complements to regulation for empowering children and their guardians to make safe decisions online. Initiatives that include child-friendly content, safety tips, and advisories in a visually appealing way are critical for informing children of the potential risks they may face online and teaching them responsible tech use. Studies show that a well-informed child is often less likely to fall victim to online harm. Recognising this, most data protection laws across the continent recommend the provision of processing information to a child in a child-friendly manner to enhance understanding.[5]
Additionally, data protection authorities (DPAs) in Africa have been proactive in creating awareness about the need to ensure the safety of children online and providing guidance and training on maintaining online safety. As the need for child protection increases, countries like Rwanda consistently put out warnings about the risks of child online exposure. Other countries in the region, like Egypt and Mali, also actively educate children and teachers on online safety. Moreover, the region has seen increased measures against digital platforms for inadequate safety measures. For example, in 2023, the Malian DPA expressed concern over the unfettered access to and misuse of social media platforms by minors in the country, following its suspension in other countries like Senegal for non-compliance with its law. The growing trend signals the region’s desire to build a culture of privacy among the younger generation while ensuring their safety online.
Creative methods, such as interactive online resources, animated videos, and infographics, are effective tools for conveying complex online safety concepts to children in an accessible way. It’s also essential that parents and guardians remain informed of the latest online safety practices and technological advancements to guide children better and stay aware of new potential threats.
A Collective Path Forward
The efforts across Africa towards child online protection are commendable and mark a positive step forward. However, the journey is ongoing, and further collaboration and commitment are necessary to create a holistic and enduring approach to safeguarding children in the digital space. Through shared efforts among governments, communities, educators, and private-sector players, Africa can work toward an online environment that prioritises the safety and well-being of its youngest and most vulnerable users.
As part of our contribution towards protecting children online, Privacy Lens Africa (PLA) is introducing a special initiative with an online platform dedicated to child online protection. This platform provides essential resources, guidance, and content on children’s online safety. Our ultimate goal is to raise awareness, inspire policy and regulatory change, and empower children, parents, educators, carers, and guardians with the knowledge and tools to protect children online. This initiative will use interactive content, infographics, animated videos, pictures, and easy-to-read blog posts to achieve our objectives.
[1] Section 23 of Nigeria Cybercrimes Act
[2] Section 2(c) of Botswana Data Protection Act 2024, Article 4 of Republic of Congo’s Loi n° 29-2019 du 10 octobre 2019 portant protection des données à caractère personnel, Article 1 of the Data Protection Law ofEgypt 2020, Article 18(5) of the Ethiopia Data Protection Proclamation No. 1321 /2024, Section 37(1)(a) of the Ghana Data Protection Act 2012,Section 2 of the Kenya Data Protection Act 2019, Section 29 (a) of the Lesotho Data Protection Act 2012, and Section 3 of the Tanzania Personal Data Protection Act of 2023.
[3] Section 31(2) of Nigeria Data Protection Act
[4] Section 31(1) of Nigeria Data Protection Act
[5] For example, Section 27(3) of the Nigeria Data Protection Act advises that considerations to the class of data subjects targeted should be had in designing a privacy notice.