Tanzania: National Advisory Committee Boosts Online Child Protection

• Tanzania's online safety campaign has educated over 1.8 million children on safe digital platform use.
• The government established a National Advisory Committee on Online Child Protection and Safety to advise on strategies for mitigating digital risks.
• Deputy Minister Maryprisca Mahundi emphasized ensuring children benefit from technology while being protected from harm.
• The advisory committee will address challenges posed by emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and content access on children's devices.
• Parents and guardians are urged to actively monitor their children's digital device usage and accessed content.

The focus, according to the Deputy Minister, must be on ensuring children utilize technology safely, while simultaneously strengthening cooperation among institutions responsible for both child protection and technological advancement.

Tanzania has significantly advanced its efforts to safeguard children in the digital realm, with a nationwide campaign reaching over 1.8 million minors. This extensive initiative aims to educate children, parents, guardians, and the broader community on the safe, responsible, and child-friendly use of digital platforms, thereby protecting them from abuse, exploitation, and other inherent digital risks.

The Deputy Minister for Community Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups, Engineer Maryprisca Mahundi, recently disclosed these figures while addressing a parliamentary inquiry. Her remarks came in response to a basic question posed by Special Seats MP Lucy Kombani (CCM), who sought clarity on governmental measures to combat online violence against children amidst the escalating use of social media.

The campaign's reach spans all 26 regions of Mainland Tanzania, specifically educating 1,811,212 children on online child safety. This comprehensive approach underscores the government's commitment to ensuring children can harness the benefits of technology without succumbing to violence, abuse, exploitation, or other digital-related harms.

A pivotal development in Tanzania's strategy for online child protection is the establishment of the National Advisory Committee on Online Child Protection and Safety. This newly formed body is tasked with providing crucial technical advice and supporting the formulation of strategies designed to prevent and effectively address the various online risks confronting children.

Comprising stakeholders from diverse institutions, including the ministry responsible for information and communication technology, the committee aims to bolster coordination across sectors. Its mandate is to ensure a unified and robust response to the complex challenges associated with digital risks children face, reflecting a concerted effort to enhance *Tanzania online child safety campaign* initiatives.

This *Tanzania National Advisory Committee online child protection* initiative signals a heightened regulatory focus on mitigating digital risks for minors, which could lead to new compliance obligations for businesses operating in the digital space within Tanzania.

During the parliamentary session, MP Kombani raised pertinent supplementary questions concerning the potential for emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, to become sources of online violence against children. She also inquired about measures to prevent children's devices, like phones and tablets, from accessing or downloading content that could expose them to online harm.

In her response, Deputy Minister Mahundi affirmed that the advisory committee would continue its deliberations on managing technology-related risks while simultaneously ensuring children can benefit from digital advancements. She acknowledged the impracticality of simply removing technology from children's lives, given their increasing familiarity with digital platforms and, in some instances, their superior technological knowledge compared to their parents.

The focus, according to the Deputy Minister, must be on ensuring children utilize technology safely, while simultaneously strengthening cooperation among institutions responsible for both child protection and technological advancement. This approach highlights the government's commitment to adapting its *Tanzania child protection technology* strategies to an evolving digital landscape.

Beyond governmental and institutional efforts, Deputy Minister Mahundi underscored the indispensable role of parents and guardians in safeguarding children online. She urged them to adopt a more active role in monitoring their children's use of digital devices, emphasizing the importance of knowing which applications and programs their children access.

Mahundi stressed that closer parental supervision is vital because children might unknowingly expose themselves to harmful content or inadvertently share inappropriate material online. Such actions, she warned, could lead to significant and long-term consequences, reinforcing the need for vigilant oversight in the home environment.

Lawyers advising digital platforms or companies operating in Tanzania should monitor the newly established National Advisory Committee for potential new regulations or guidelines concerning online child protection and digital safety. This signals an increased regulatory focus on mitigating digital risks for minors, which could lead to new compliance obligations for businesses.

Source: Original reporting via Daily News