Call for AU to impose social media ban for under 16s across Africa

Child Online Africa is calling for the African Union to issue a protocol for social media to be banned for under-16s across the continent by 2027.

A Ghana-based child research and advocacy organisation is calling on the African Union (AU) to introduce a minimum age of 16 for social media use across the continent.

Child Online Africa has launched a petition urging the AU to take stronger action to protect children from online harms, including cyberbullying, exploitation, harmful content and privacy breaches.

The organisation wants the AU to adopt a binding protocol or model law by 2027 that would establish 16 as the minimum age for accessing social media platforms.

Speaking to IOL, Child Online Africa executive director Awo Aidam Amenyah said the organisation had formally communicated its concerns and recommendations to key decision-makers, including relevant heads of state and the AU Commission, during the launch of its #AfricaEsafetyNow campaign.