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Protecting Learners Online: CA’s rallying call for digital safety at the Kenya Music Festival
With Kenya recording over 62 million mobile data subscriptions, 52 million smartphones connected to mobile networks, and a mobile penetration rate of 157 percent, young people are increasingly using digital platforms to create music, produce content, access learning opportunities, and share ideas.
The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) is using the ongoing 98th Kenya Music Festival to promote online safety and awareness among learners.
The country’s ICT regulator noted on Monday that the festival was an important consumer education and empowerment platform to protect children from cyberbullying, exploitation, harmful content, and other online privacy violations.
Using the theme ‘Child Online Protection and Safe Use of the Internet’ as part of its Child Online Protection Programme, CA’s Director General, David Mugonyi, said that the authority was introducing new initiatives that will not only protect learners but also safeguard the special needs of those living with various incapacities.
“We are pleased that this year’s festival includes themes such as productive use of the Internet, online safety and etiquette, building a positive digital identity, ‘Click Smart, Stay Safe,’ and identifying genuine mobile phones.
These initiatives equip learners, teachers, parents, and communities with practical digital safety skills, encouraging responsible online behavior, the protection of personal information, and critical thinking before clicking or sharing online content,” said Mr. Mugonyi.
Through the Universal Service Fund, Mugonyi confirmed that broadband connectivity has been extended to underserved schools and communities, while partnerships with the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) and the Kenya Institute of the Blind (KIB) have enabled the digitization of educational content, ensuring wider access for all learners.