Not every online friend is a friend

By Love Wilhelmina Abanonave

I walked into the training room thinking I knew enough about internet safety. Passwords. Don’t click strange links. Don’t share your card details. Basic stuff.

Three hours later, I walked out with my phone in my hand, but a completely different feeling in my chest. Because the session wasn’t really about me. It was about a 9-year-old with a TikTok account, a 13-year-old on WhatsApp groups, and the teenager who thinks “private chat” means private.

The training, organized by the Cyber Security Authority, CSA, focused on one of the most urgent and least talked about threats in Ghana’s digital space today: Child Online Protection, COP. Now let’s take a minute to imagine. Imagine you are not home, your ten-year-old daughter invites someone over, someone she has been chatting with online. She has never met this person but just knows she has made a friend. She gives out your home address to this stranger to come visit and steps out to meet him. Imagine what could happen if this is a sexual predator, a cybercriminal, a trafficker, a kidnapper, a serial killer, just imagine.

 The threats are closer than we think

These are what our children face online when we’re not looking, when we feel they might be studying on their Ipads; it is no wonder this generation of kids have been nicknamed, “Ipad kids”.

1. Grooming: Adults posing as teenagers to build trust with children on Instagram, Snapchat, or gaming platforms. They start with compliments, then gifts, then “can you send me a photo?”

2. Cyberbullying: Group chats where one child is targeted, screenshots are shared, and the shame follows them to school the next day.

3. Sextortion: Children, especially girls, are tricked into sending intimate photos. The predator then threatens to share them unless the child pays money or sends more.

4. Harmful content: From violent videos to suicide challenges and pornography, all accessible with one wrong search or one autoplay video.

 Action

I took away a lot from the training and I have broken it down for parents, children, families and anyone concerned enough to protect our children from online predators to tap into for a safe digital space.

1. Talk early, talk often 

Parents should not wait for “the talk” at 15 or feel the kids are still too young to understand. I suggest starting at early ages. It will not take away our time if we ask: “Who did you chat with today? What games are you playing? Did anything or anyone online make you uncomfortable?” Make your home a place where a child can report without being shouted at.

2. Set boundaries, not just bans 

Banning phones doesn’t work. Instead, agree on screen time, what apps are allowed, and that devices are used in common areas. “No phones in the bedroom at night” is something you can agree on with your kids.

3. Teach them the ‘3 Rs’: Recognize, Refuse, Report 

Recognize grooming or bullying. Refuse to engage or send anything. Report to a trusted adult, teacher, or to the CSA via their 292 or 050-160-3111 hotline.

4. Be the example 

Children copy what they see. If we overshare on Facebook, if we fall for scams, if we bully online, they will too.

Why this matters now

According to the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), there are 13,000 cases of child exploitation in 2020. Ghana has over 11 million social media users. Internet penetration is growing fast, and children are the fastest adopters. COVID-19 pushed learning online, and many kids never came fully offline.

But our laws and our awareness are still catching up. Ghana’s Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038) strictly criminalizes online child sexual exploitation, abuse, and related cyber offences under sections 62 to 67. The CSA also has a dedicated COP portal and reporting channels. The problem is, most people don’t know they exist. It’s simple, call 292, whatsapp 050-160-3111, email report@csa.gov.gh.

 What I’m doing differently now

I went home and checked my younger sister’s phone. Not to snoop, but to ask. What apps do you use? Who are you talking to? Let’s set YouTube to “Restricted Mode.”

It was an awkward conversation. But 10 minutes in, she told me about a stranger who DM’d her on Instagram saying “you’re pretty for your age.” She blocked him. She hadn’t told anyone because she thought she’d get in trouble. She’s only eight.

That’s the point of COP. Not to scare children off the internet. But to give them, and us, the tools to navigate it safely. If you suspect a child is being abused or exploited online, you can report to the Cyber Security Authority on 292 or 050-160-3111. You can also email report@csa.gov.gh. Because online safety isn’t a one-day training. It’s a daily habit.

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