The new technical document gathers governments, industry, civil society and youth voices to support stronger protections for children online
June 16, 2025, London: The GSMA, in association with the mobile industry, is asking for a collective action strengthened to protect children online in Africa. Based on ideas from a high -level round table convened in the ministerial program during Barcelona MWC25, the GSMA today launched a new technical document, Improve online child protection in sub -Saharan Africa Describe key recommendations to guide governments, regulators, industry, civil society and interested parties of young people while working together to create a safer digital environment for children.
With the digital transformation of accelerated Africa, the number of children accessing the Internet is rapidly increasing, often through mobile devices, since the region remains mobile first. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC) establish the fundamental rights of all children, which provide a critical basis to ensure that the rights of children are completely respected, protected and fulfilled in the digital age. Mobile technology has enormous potential to help advance these rights, as explained in the GSMA-UNICEF report Improve children's lives through mobile devices. While they are published in 2019, the principles and mapping of the report remain very relevant today, which reflects the long commitment of the GSMA with this area. We continue working in close collaboration with UNICEF, and as next step, GSMA and UNICEF will encode a new regional work group to help boost the recommendations of this technical document and strengthen cooperation between governments, industry and civil society.
Mobile devices can open doors to education, social connection and development. But as connectivity expands, so do the risks: children are increasingly exposed to cyberbullying, harmful content and online exploitation. Recognizing both the opportunities and the challenges of the digital environment, the African committee of experts in the rights and well -being of the child dedicated on the 2023 of the African child (DAC) to this important issue, which reinforces the urgent need for intersectoral cooperation.
The GSMA and its members in Africa have worked together to highlight shared challenges, amplify the voices of young people and identify areas where governments, industry and civil society can strengthen coordinated efforts.
The key recommendations of the technical document include:
- Guarantee approaches focused on children and young people in the development of policies and programs
- Strengthen national frames online with the security and online empowerment strategy of the African Union of the African Union
- Expand digital literacy and consciousness initiatives for children, parents and educators
- Creation of stronger public-private associations to climb resources, tools and services throughout the region
Angela Wamola, head of Sub -Saharan Africa in the GSMA, said: “Protecting children online is a shared responsibility between governments, industry, civil society and families. When working together, we can ensure that the digital environment becomes a place of opportunity, not risks, for the children of Africa. This technical document is an important step to support the interested parties throughout the region as they advance this urgent agenda.”
Nankali Maksud, regional child protection advisor at UNICEF EAStern and Muida Africa, added: “Children and young people under 18 represent half of the population of Africa. Protecting their online safety is not just about protecting rights, but also to invest in human capital and the future leadership of Africa. This technical document helps to raise African voices, African leadership and African solutions to protect children in the digital space. In unicef so that children's recommendations occur in the digital space.
The technical document integrates regional data, including the findings of the Ipsos investigation commissioned by MTN Group, as well as ideas of the defender of the young Jemima Kasongo, 19, of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who opened the round table during the MWC25 with a powerful call to action in the name of the young people of the entire continent.
The GSMA reaffirms that online child protection is a global priority, with efforts in progress worldwide to strengthen safer digital environments. Initiatives like him GSMA Mobile Alliance to combat digital child sexual exploitation It gathers international mobile operators to boost good practices and coordinate global responses. Although this new technical document focuses on Africa, it is based on the broader global commitment of the GSMA, including the recently published orientation on the incorporation of young voices in the design of digital policies and solutions. The GSMA encourages all those interested to commit to recommendations and join the ongoing dialogue to help guarantee a safer digital future for Children in Africa.
Download the complete technical document here.
About the GSMA
GSMA is a global organization that unifies the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and offer fundamental innovation to positive business environments and social change. Our vision is to unlock all the power of connectivity so that people, industry and society prosper. Representing mobile operators and organizations throughout the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA offers its members in three broad pillars: connectivity for good, services and solutions of the industry, and scope. This activity includes progress policy; address today's greatest social challenges; Supporting the technology and interoperability that make the mobile work; and provide the largest platform in the world to call the mobile ecosystem in the MWC and M360 event series.
Media contacts
GSMA Press Office
[email protected]
