Techsocietal, in collaboration with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Internet Society (ISOC – Nigeria Chapter), and TikTok, hosted a two-day event on the global theme of Safer Internet Day: “Want to talk about it? “Making space for conversations about life online” on February 6-7, 2023.
A virtual workshop convened online safety practitioners and stakeholders in Nigeria on the first day of the event to kickstart conversations that further the understanding of digital spaces and experiences, particularly for young people, and to consider the tools and strategies to make these conversations more extensive and effective across contexts.
The conversation which included policymakers, industry, academia, and civil society as participants featured the Principal Manager NCC Lagos Zonal Office Ms. Ijeoma Bassey, TikTok Government Affairs and Public Policy Director for SSA Fortune Sibanda, Google Public Policy and Government Affairs Manager for Nigeria, Dawn Dimowo and Head of Safety Policy for Africa Middle East and Turkey at Meta, Syliva Musalagani.
The workshop was educational and informed policymakers with an interest in online (child) safety; encouraging a balanced and informed approach to regulatory efforts and discussing the shared responsibilities to ensure the use of new media to promote health, wellness, and educational benefits for children and young people.Â
During a hybrid workshop for educators, CSOs, and parents on Day 2 with educators and CSOs, Techsocietal’s Executive Director, Temitope Ogundipe shared insights about Nigerian children’s daily internet use and how educators and parents can build children’s cyber resilience.Â
Mr. Adewolu Adene, Google Government Affairs & Public Policy Manager, Nigeria shared resources from Google with participants for building a safer, more trusted internet, including the ‘Google Family Link’ and ‘Be Internet Awesome Campaign.’
The Principal Manager, Nigerian Communications Commission, Lagos Zone, Ms. Ijeoma Bassey, also gave a presentation on the ‘Child Online Protection’ initiative, discussing the roles of the various stakeholders in keeping children safe online and distributing COP resources to schools and CSOs present.Â
Dr. Olubayo Adekanmbi, CEO/Founder of Data Science Nigeria (DSN), introduced TikTok’s ‘Safer Together’ campaign and discussed TikTok’s safety tools for the family.
Participants left the workshops with a commitment to spread knowledge, build children’s digital resilience in classrooms, communities, and families, and do their bit to ensure a safer online experience for Nigerian children.Â
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Techsocietal is a non-profit social enterprise focused on reducing digital inequalities and digital harms by fostering safety, rights, and inclusion online, for vulnerable and underserved groups, including women and youth. TechSocietal engages with technology and/or digital policies and programs for safety, rights, and inclusion, and works in areas of capacity building and research.
