By Sharon Tawuya
Harare, (New Ziana)-The Zimbabwe government is rolling out gateways on free Wi-Fi hotspots as well as training teachers and parents, as it moves to implement the National Child Online Protection Policy, a Cabinet Minister has said.
Information Communication Technology and Courier Services Minister Tatenda Mavetera has said this on Wednesday while responding to questions in the National Assembly.
In simple terms, a gateway is an exit and entry point that connects one network to another, such as connecting a home computer network to the wider internet.
Mavetera said following the launch of the policy, her Ministry conducted and completed consultations, and is now moving to implementation.
She said her Ministry is working with the Ministries of Primary and Secondary Education and Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare to ensure a coordinated approach to protecting children online.
The government, she said, has set up a committee to develop concrete implementation measures that include the installation of content gateways on public free Wi-Fi and free internet services to ensure children can only access age-appropriate material.
Mavetera said similar protective mechanisms are also being put in place in schools to safeguard learners when they are online, adding that teachers have been instructed to be responsive to online safety issues, while parents are being encouraged to play a key role.
She said the government will also intensify awareness campaigns on existing digital tools such as parental controls and phone mirroring features on appliocations like WhatsApp, that allow parents to monitor the online activities of their children.
On whether Zimbabwe would follow countries like Australia and the UK that have banned children from social media, Mavetera said more consultations are still needed before such a decision can be made.
Asked about the capacity of the government to monitor children’s social media use, Mavetera said through the national cyber security framework and the E-Government Unit, the government already has systems in place to monitor social media platforms.
“This will enable us to monitor all these social media accounts, not only for our children, but for the country as a whole,” she said.
She said while the foundation for child online protection has been laid in the policy document, more work is required, adding that protecting children online will require collaboration between Government, parents, teachers and the community.
“This is a collaborative effort that needs parents, teachers and everyone to be involved. We are aware that some applications have parental control that let a parent monitor a child’s gadget and which sites they are visiting. In terms of WhatsApp, a parent can have a replica of a child’s phone on his own phone. These are mechanisms that we think we need to publicise and raise awareness among parents,” she said.
New Ziana
