Afenyo-Markin calls for amendment of Cyber Security Act 2020
Deputy Majority Leader lexamderAfenyo-Markin has said that it is estimated that over 4.5 billion people around the globe use Social Media as of October 2021.
Other estimates published by business.com, he said, suggest that Social Media use has increased sharply since the Covid-19 pandemic.
In the case of social media, he said “Let me hasten to concede that it is indeed the case that Social Media sites can serve as valuable platforms for both adults and children to acquire crucial knowledge, learn new and vital skills, consume valuable news content, and even earn a living through lawful Social Media marketing and content creation.
Quote his colleague lawmaker and Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, he said ‘The 4 internet revolution has transformed how we… access information and is an increasingly valuable resource for children and young people to learn, socialise, innovate and connect.’
However, the Effutu Lawmaker said in a statement he presented on the floor of Parliament Friday, February 17 that “the unfortunate reality is that the internet is not always helpful. Indeed, Social Media sites on the internet have become very dangerous and destructive tools and platforms used by perverts belonging to the evil fringes of society to target, victimise, radicalise, and destroy the present and future of innocent or curious or
unsuspecting children.”
One study, he said, identified some of the main negative implications of the use of Social Media by school children as “distraction of pupils’ attention from their studies, frequent use of Pidgin English as well as unnecessary fashion consciousness.”
However, he added “more deadly dangers are flowing from Social Media consumption by children that demand urgent attention. According to Australia’s Raising Children Network, these include: (a) exposure to inappropriate or upsetting content, like mean, aggressive, violent or sexual comments or images (b) uploading inappropriate content, like embarrassing or provocative or nude photos or videos of themselves or others (c) sharing personal information with strangers – for example, images, date of birth, location or address (d) cyberbullying (e) exposure to too much-targeted advertising and 6 UNICEF, “New Research on Child Online Practices in Ghana” (Related UNICEF Sites, October 18, 2018) marketing, including those meant for adults (f) and exposure to data breaches like having their data sold on to other organisations.”
He asked the legislature to take steps to tackle the dangers of social media.
He said “This Parliament must firmly direct the Ministries of 1) Interior, 2) Communications and Digitalisation 3) Gender, Children and Social Protection to expedite work on developing a comprehensive Online Child Protection Policy for adoption and implementation within
the immediate future.
“Secondly, Parliament must lead an amendment to the Cyber Security Act 2020 to impose an obligation on the Cyber Security Authority to submit SEPARATE bi-annual reports to this House for consideration and subsequent action on detailed measures it has taken to specifically safeguard Ghanaian children from the harmful effects of Social Media use and consumption.
“Thirdly, this House must draft and pass a new law, through the efforts of private members, prohibiting Ghanaian children under 16 from consuming and or using Social Media. In that law, offending parents or guardians –– through whose negligence and or acquiescence children consume or use harmful Social Media content or become owners of Social Media accounts –– must face punitive fines. Liability for the offence will be strict, and it is enough that a person under 16 is seen consuming Social Media or using or opening a prohibited Social Media account.”