Nosa Alekhuogie
Facebook, in collaboration with Cybersafe Foundation, a non-governmental organisation in the information security ecosystem in Nigeria, recently hosted parents’ roundtable event designed to gather insights on the kind of safety tips parents need, determine how they would like to receive the tips and equip them with digital skills needed to navigate the digital world.
The virtual event focused on teaching parents how to use and access some of the basic safety tools and features available on the Facebook platform to help keep children safe online.
According to Facebook, providing parents with the basic digital literacy skills while on their parenting journey would be an important step in helping the next generation of leaders to better understand and utilise the power of digital tools to take full advantage of what the internet has to offer.
Speaking at the event, Facebook’s Safety Policy Manager, Africa, Middle East and Turkey, Sylvia Musalagani, said: “Facebook is committed to the safety of users on our platforms and especially that of young users. We have developed partnerships, policies, tools, programmes and resources that are aimed at keeping our users safe online.
”By teaching parents how to use and access some of the basic safety tools and features on our platform, we are taking necessary steps in ensuring that the next generation are equipped with the online safety training they need to have better online experiences in the future.”
While speaking on the partnership with Facebook, the CEO, Cybersafe Foundation, Confidence Staveley, said: “This roundtable presented a perfect opportunity for parents to provide feedback directly to Facebook on its current child online safety resources and desired additions or improvements that they will like to see. We are pleased that the main sessions and breakout rooms made for very conversations and parents in attendance shared their opinions freely.”
In recent years, Facebook has trained thousands of people on digital literacy skills. In 2021, Facebook is preparing to train over 20,000 participants across Africa on safe, responsible and beneficial usage of the digital platforms.
Facebook says it is committed to the well-being of individuals and communities visiting its platforms and has invested in initiatives designed to build awareness on responsible online behaviour, critical thinking and understanding of social issues.
