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By Desmond Israel Esq.

The internet has transformed into a virtual space for children around the globe. It is a place where they acquire knowledge, interact with others, discover new things, and share their thoughts. However, it is also a location where dangerous individuals hide, false information circulates, personal data is vulnerable, and harmful activities advance quicker than the measures designed to prevent them.

The struggle to safeguard children in the digital world goes beyond content filters or parent controls — it involves cybersecurity, policy, and ethical design. Globally, we are still trying to keep up.

For many years, the discussion on cybersecurity has mainly centered on safeguarding systems, organizations, and nations. However, as an increasing portion of a child’s life is managed through digital platforms — including educational applications, gaming spaces, and social media — the perspective on cybersecurity needs to be adjusted.

Children are not small versions of adults. Their risks are distinct. And safeguarding them involves more than just technology; it requires a system of accountability that includes governments, companies, teachers, and parents.

Why Online Safety Has Become Essential for Safeguarding Children

Cybersecurity and safeguarding children online were previously seen as separate issues. Now, they are closely connected. The abuse of children is increasingly taking place through digital spaces — such as grooming via messaging apps, harassment on gaming sites, or the exchange of harmful material on encrypted platforms. A cybersecurity breach is not only a technical issue; for children, it can have significant consequences.

The increasing utilization of AI-created child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is a growing concern. These are not images captured by offenders in real-world settings, but rather artificial pictures produced by algorithms — typically designed to bypass legal detection.

Police forces in the UK, Australia, and the Netherlands have identified this as a growing risk, with tangible psychological effects and significant consequences for judicial systems that now need to figure out how to handle abuse cases where no camera was present.

Consider data breaches. When children’s details—such as their names, schools, locations, or learning habits—are exposed, it can be used for targeting, influence, and abuse. However, numerous educational platforms in developing regions, like those in Africa, still do not have fundamental data security measures in place. A strong cybersecurity approach is now essential for services that serve children. It is crucial to their credibility and ability to function.

Models That Set the Standard

Several nations have implemented significant measures to close the divide between cybersecurity and safeguarding children. The United Kingdom’s Age-Appropriate Design Code, referred to as the Children’s Code, is particularly notable.

Launched in 2021, it enforces rigorous requirements on digital services to prioritize children’s well-being in their development — including default privacy configurations and restricting location tracking and data profiling. It functions as a cybersecurity framework, although it uses the terminology of ethics and policy.

Australia has established a strong institutional framework through the eSafety Commissioner, an autonomous statutory position empowered to examine misconduct, enforce removals, and advise online service providers. It merges technological knowledge with advocacy for children’s rights, ensuring actions are both prompt and considerate.

In Scandinavia, Finland has incorporated digital literacy and safety into its national education programs, providing children with the abilities needed to handle online dangers before they face harm. In this region, cybersecurity starts with learning, rather than relying on later enforcement.

The European Union, through the Digital Services Act, is enforcing transparency and responsibility on platforms that can affect children — requiring them to evaluate and reduce systemic risks such as grooming, bullying, and addictive features.

These instances illustrate varied situations, yet they all have a shared element: a dedication to taking initiative, viewing children’s online safety not as a single feature, but as a continuous responsibility.

Teachings for Ghana and the Developing World

Ghana, along with several other African countries, is in the early stages of building its digital public infrastructure. This situation brings both challenges and possibilities. The challenge arises from adopting platforms and policies without adjusting them to local conditions. The possibility lies in creating systems that are specifically tailored to meet the needs of the children they are intended to support.

In recent years, Ghana has shown encouraging progress — including the adoption of digital curricula and efforts to raise national awareness about cybersecurity. However, safeguards specifically for children are still lacking. There is no dedicated law for protecting children online. The ability to enforce existing measures is weak. Additionally, cooperation between the public sector and private companies, particularly technology providers, is minimal.

Additionally, the societal silence regarding child abuse—whether in person or online—makes it harder to identify and address. In these situations, technology cannot resolve issues that society refuses to acknowledge. However, it can reveal trends, support reporting mechanisms, and cut off access points utilized by abusers.

Creating resilience goes beyond just laws. It needs digital spaces where privacy is the default, where identity is confirmed in an ethical way, and where harmful actions are detected using AI not for profit, but to take action. Mobile service providers, app creators, and education technology firms should be included in the national discussion—not merely as suppliers, but as key players in safeguarding.

Scenario: When Safety Fails

Picture a 12-year-old girl in Accra, who is using an educational application suggested by her school. The app gathers behavioral information to tailor the lessons. It also has a messaging function, where she is approached by an unknown adult pretending to be another student.

The application lacks content moderation, identity verification, and an incident reporting system. Her parents are not informed. Her teacher is not equipped to identify digital grooming. When issues arise, there is no one to contact — or to hold responsible.

This situation is not uncommon. It occurs every day on platforms that were not designed with children’s safety as a priority. When problems arise, they are frequently not reported, not dealt with, and not resolved — resulting in digital trauma for children that many adults struggle to recognize or understand.

Designing for Safety, Not Reacting After the Fact

Online safety for children needs to be integrated into national cybersecurity plans, rather than being an additional policy. It should be included in purchasing regulations, developer standards, education policies, and police training programs. Businesses creating tools for kids must demonstrate that their platforms can resist attacks—not only from external threats but also from risks that target the vulnerability of young users.

Regulators should implement risk-focused strategies. A game featuring chat capabilities needs more attention than a passive educational platform. An application that collects a lot of data and is used by children requires different compliance measures compared to a digital library. For this to be effective, local capacity must be developed — within schools, police departments, ministries, and civil society organizations.

In conclusion, children must be empowered as key participants in finding solutions. Digital safety education needs to instruct them not only on avoiding risks but also on how to voice concerns when issues arise—how to identify manipulation, how to report abuse, and how to defend their rights in a world increasingly shaped by screens.

Conclusion

Children do not simply consume the internet; they actively contribute to shaping the digital landscape. However, they remain the most at-risk and underrepresented group within the systems that manage their data and online interactions. Improving online safety for children goes beyond preventing harm; it involves creating spaces where they can grow and succeed in a secure manner.

Cybersecurity needs to advance in response to this issue. It should be mindful of children, not just focused on threats. It should protect not only systems, but also human dignity. Furthermore, it should be developed not only by engineers and decision-makers, but by communities that are unwilling to tolerate digital danger as a necessary cost of advancement.

This is a worldwide conflict. However, its successes — or its shortcomings — will have a strong local impact. Ghana, just like the rest of the globe, needs to choose: will we safeguard children through proactive measures, or offer apologies once problems arise?

Desmond Esq. serves as a Partner at AGNOS Legal Company | the founder of Information Security Architects Ltd, and a Law instructor at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) Law School | attorney and specialist in technology law | member of IIPGH.

For comments, email: desmond.israel@gmail.com

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