by AKANI CHAUKE
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – SOUTH Africa’s Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA) is advising the country’s parents and child guardians to adopt a multilayered approach to online safety.
ISPA said this should recognise today’s new realities.
André van der Walt, the ISPA chairman, said the relatively slow rollout of the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines would see many South African parents continue to prioritise online learning and socialising in 2021.
“It may no longer be possible for parents to delay giving children access to phones and tablets in their early teens,” he added.
The official said the internet was awash with tools to limit children’s access to inappropriate content.
“However, the lion’s share of technological interventions will only protect children for a limited time as they are device-specific,” van der Walt said.
“This means parents must accept the inevitability of their children accessing the web on unprotected devices, for example those belonging to friends whose parents may not be so proactive when it comes to child online safety.”
ISPA is non-profit industry representative body representing 197 of South Africa’s ISPs.
– CAJ News