The Founder of Internet Safety Magazine and CEO of Onadipe Technologies, Mr. Rotimi Onadipe has advised all parents to make sure their children are well educated about internet safety before giving them access to mobile phone or social media.
Onadipe made this known to parents during his organisation’s weekly program with the theme “SAY NO TO INTERNET ABUSE, SAY YES TO INTERNET SAFETY” which was held at Ibadan on Saturday April 30th 2022.
The internet safety advocate said it is no longer news that online abuse among youths, teenagers and even minors is now a global challenge of today’s technology age as evident in several news platforms and social media.
According to Onadipe, giving a child access to mobile phone or social media without giving him or her proper education about internet safety is like signing one’s own death warrant, as it will cause more harm than good to the lives of both the child and the parents.
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He said “It is very sad that many of our youths are no longer talking about ethics and moral values because they now spend most of their time on the internet, watching immoral videos. Online child pornography and cybersex are now the other of the day among many youths, teenagers and even minors in our society. It is high time we addressed this social ills before the problems become uncontrollable for all of us.”
“There is nothing wrong in giving a child access to mobile phone or social media if the child is well informed about online safety, which involves protecting oneself from potential dangers associated with internet usage.”
“Before you give these innocent children access to mobile phone or internet, are these children aware of the importance of protecting themselves online? are they aware there are sensitive and personal information they should not disclose to strangers? are they aware there are pedophiles looking for victims of their age online? are they aware there are online predators in several social media platforms? are they aware there are some websites that are mainly for adults? are they aware there are hackers searching for vulnerable children on the internet? are they aware about the dangers of being addicted to mobile phone or social media? are they aware of the danger of sharing their nude pictures with anyone online?”
“I don’t know how these children will know about all these online dangers and how to avoid them if they are not given adequate information about internet safety” he added.
In his final statement, Onadipe said “My advice to all parents is this, please don’t give these innocent children access to the internet or mobile phone if they are not well informed about internet safety.”
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