By Mulengera Reporters
The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) has launched a 90-day nationwide campaign to promote online safety among children, amid growing concerns over cyberbullying, sexual content, harassment, misinformation and other digital harms affecting young people.
The Child Online Protection Campaign was launched at Kololo Senior Secondary School in Kampala, with UCC Executive Director Thembo Nyombi warning that the growing number of children using the internet requires stronger measures to protect them from online abuse.
“Internet brings enormous opportunities, but it also presents real risks to children,” Nyombi said.
He said children should not be excluded from the digital world because they already use the internet extensively, but rather should be equipped with the knowledge and safeguards needed to navigate it safely.
“The question is not whether children should use the Internet. They already do. The question is how do we make sure they can learn, connect, create and have fun online without being exposed to avoidable harm,” he said.
The campaign, spearheaded by UCC in partnership with government agencies, schools, parents, technology companies, law enforcement agencies and civil society organisations, will target more than 100 schools across the country.
It also marks the rollout of the Schools Awareness Assembly Program (SAAP), a youth-focused initiative designed to equip students with practical knowledge about online safety and responsible internet use.
Nyombi said the campaign comes at a time when children are increasingly exposed to digital technologies from an early age.
Globally, he noted, more than six billion people are connected to the internet, with about one in every three connected people being below the age of 18.
For Uganda, he said, the challenge is particularly important because of the country’s young population and increasing reliance on digital platforms for education, communication, entertainment and economic opportunities.
However, children are also increasingly encountering cyberbullying, harassment, stalking, blackmail, exploitation, harmful content, misinformation and internet addiction.
UCC Director of Economic Regulation, Content and Consumer Affairs, Julianne Rwakakoko Mweheire, said recent findings from a survey conducted among students at Kololo Senior Secondary School showed the scale of the challenge.
According to the survey, 98.4 percent of participating students said they knew how to use the internet, while only 73.1 percent said their parents were aware of how they used it.
The survey further found that 88.5 percent had encountered digital harms, including cyberbullying, misinformation and hate speech.
About 70.1 percent had encountered sexual messages, images or videos, while 74.2 percent said they never reported such experiences to anyone, including their parents.
The survey also found that 36.2 percent of students spent more than four hours online each day.
Mweheire said the findings demonstrate a gap between children’s access to digital platforms and adult oversight.
“Children, you are exposed, but you are largely silent. That silence is a danger,” she said.
“A child who will not report abuse cannot be protected.”
She said the campaign would therefore go beyond awareness among students to include education for parents, regulatory interventions and stronger cooperation among institutions responsible for children’s welfare.
The campaign will promote awareness of what constitutes online harm, how children can refuse or avoid harmful interactions and where they can report abuse.
It will also include parent education seminars aimed at helping adults understand what children encounter online and how they can respond.
UCC further said the campaign would support enforcement measures targeting online platforms and intermediaries, including action against those that fail to remove illegal content or respond appropriately to reports.
Nyombi said protecting children online cannot be the responsibility of the communications regulator alone.
“It requires collaboration among regulators, schools, parents, service providers, civil society, law enforcement among others,” he said.
He urged students to think carefully before posting content online, protect their personal information, be cautious about people they interact with online and avoid participating in bullying or harassment.
He also encouraged children who encounter threats, abuse or other disturbing content to report the matter to a trusted adult instead of remaining silent.
Parents and teachers, he said, should not simply tell children to stay away from technology, but should instead equip them with the skills and confidence to use it safely.
The campaign follows UCC’s 2019 national survey on children online, whose findings raised concerns about children’s exposure to digital risks.
Nyombi said the online environment has changed considerably since then, with new platforms and technologies, including artificial intelligence, creating new opportunities as well as more sophisticated risks.
In response, UCC has developed the Child Online Protection Legislative Framework 2026, which provides a basis for strengthening the protection of children in cyberspace.
Nyombi said the framework was only the beginning, with implementation now requiring increased awareness, digital literacy, stronger reporting and redress mechanisms, improved protection by online platforms and closer cooperation among stakeholders.
The campaign was launched with the participation of government officials, parents, schools, telecom operators and other stakeholders and was formally graced by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Communications Technology and National Guidance, Dr. Amina Zawedde.
Nyombi said the ultimate objective was not to keep children away from the digital world but to ensure that the internet becomes a safer environment in which they can learn, connect, create and participate responsibly.
“It’s not to keep children out of the digital world. Because that’s where you can’t do it. You must be there. It is to make the digital world safer for children,” he said. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
