Ms Dorothy Gordon, Director General of the Ghana-India Kofi Annan ICT Centre, has urged parents to support their children’s internet safety.

She cautioned that parents should not take for granted their younger children going online, as the internet has the capacity to affect them both positively and negatively.

Ms Gordon gave the advice in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra on the sidelines of a meeting of the Global Commission on Internet Governance.

The meeting was held to discuss internet-related opportunities and challenges in Africa, including issues of access and sustainable development.

Ms Gordon said parents must understand what young people are interested in and give them guidance and protection so that they could grow in their understanding of their environment.

“Under the internet, understand how it can work for your child and then you give that guidance. If you’ve given your children good moral guidance, they will avoid some of the things which are not good on the internet,” she said.

She further urged stakeholders such as government, child welfare agencies, teachers, and internet service providers to work together to support children’s internet safety.

She said future jobs and growth are going to be internet dependent and the populace must build their digital literacy skills.