National Children’s Day 2026: Child Online Africa calls for child-led digital protection in Ghana

As Ghana observes National Children's Day 2026, Child Online Africa is advocating for a child-led approach to digital safety in the country. In a statement, the organization emphasized that effective protection of children online requires actively listening to their perspectives. Cyber threats such as cyberbullying, grooming, sexual exploitation, harmful content, and privacy violations are on the rise as children increasingly engage in digital spaces.

Executive Director Awo Aidam Amenyah stressed that safety measures should be woven into children's daily lives. The group is urging parents to encourage children's involvement in the Children's Internet Governance Forum (Children's IGF) where they can learn, share experiences, and contribute to internet governance. The call for child participation follows concerns about the increasing number of child exploitation cases in Ghana, reaching 13,000 in 2020, and the high internet penetration rate of 68 percent among children.

Ghana's Cyber Security Authority (CSA) is working on stronger measures, including a proposed 25-year jail term for sharing minors' intimate images and training schoolchildren to protect themselves from online predators. Child Online Africa is also advocating for an African Union-wide minimum age of 16 for social media use and an African eSafety Commission to monitor online harms and ensure technology companies are held accountable.

Ghanaians are being reminded that protecting children's digital rights means amplifying their voices in shaping the digital world they inhabit.