Child Online Africa has expressed significant concerns following the Education Minister’s announcement that certain Senior High School students have accessed pornography on government-issued tablets, underscoring the dangers associated with delays in implementing promised content restrictions.
In a statement authored by the Executive Director, Awo Aidam Amenyah, the organization stressed that while every child is entitled to learn through digital means, they also deserve protection from harmful online material.
The group urged the government, industry stakeholders, educational institutions, teachers, parents, and students to take prompt measures to ensure the safety of digital learning.
Child Online Africa called upon the Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service, Ministry of Communication and Digital Innovations, National Communications Authority, and Data Protection Commission to implement mandatory over-the-air updates within 30–45 days for all distributed tablets. According to the organization, these updates should incorporate content filters that block adult websites, gambling sites, and explicit violence, as well as enforce Safe Search and YouTube Restricted Mode, in addition to time-management and app-restriction controls.
The organization also proposed the creation of a National Education Digital Safeguarding Taskforce and the integration of “Safety by Design” and “Privacy by Design” principles in all future EdTech procurement processes.
Industry stakeholders—including suppliers, manufacturers, and telecommunications companies—were requested to offer filtering subscriptions and technical assistance at no additional cost. Schools and educators were encouraged to limit tablet usage to supervised sessions until content restrictions are in place, provide urgent online safety education, and designate a Digital Safeguarding Lead in every school. Furthermore, students were advised to use devices responsibly, while parents were encouraged to engage in open discussions regarding digital usage.
Child Online Africa emphasized that secure digital access is fundamentally linked to the right to education and urged for prompt technical measures and cooperation across all sectors to guarantee that government-provided tablets serve as safe educational resources.
