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Abstract
The digital environment is increasingly becoming an integral part of children’s lives as it serves various purposes including education and entertainment. Such increased exposure means that the digital environment is a space whereby children’s rights should be protected. Children have a right to the freedom of expression including the freedom to seek, receive, or impart information. The internet enables this. However, not all of the information available therein is credible and verifiable. Misinformation, specifically sexual misinformation is one of the major risks that children are exposed to in their interactions with the digital environment. Children are sometimes exposed to explicit and age inappropriate content in the form of photos, videos, audios and literature on sex that has a direct negative impact on their lives. However, topics surrounding sex are quite sensitive especially in regards to discussing them with children within the African context since they are shrouded in religious and moral opposition. Therefore children are unable to comfortably raise their concerns on the credibility of this content with trusted adults. This article opines that the introduction of compulsory comprehensive age appropriate sex education alongside awareness on verifying information on the internet may assist to protect children from misleading information on sex as they navigate the digital environment.
Introduction
Research shows that there has been a surge in the number of internet users over the years. As of April 2022 there was 43% internet penetration in Africa which is about 590 million users including children who make up a third of all internet users globally. Within Kenya, there were 17.86 million internet users within the first three months of 2023 when internet penetration was at 32.7%. A study by UNICEF indicates that 67% of children between the ages of 12 and 17 use the internet. In years to come, the number of children users is definitely bound to grow rapidly and greatly.
Children are naturally curious with their curiosity increasing with age. During adolescence children undergo various changes as they develop into young adults. At this point, they become conscious about their bodies, sex, sexuality and relationships. When they lack a credible source of information on the same, they automatically turn to the internet as it is accessible, promotes a sense of belonging, guarantees a certain degree of anonymity and it provides the information in an aesthetically pleasing manner. Due to their evolving cognitive capacities children may be unable to successfully differentiate between reliable and unreliable information. Ultimately, they end up acquiring and disseminating misleading sexual and reproductive information among their peer groups. This is quite unfortunate following that the adoption of wrong information often leads to greater disadvantages in real life.
Some may argue that denying children access to the internet until they are old enough would be a great solution, however children lacking access to the internet still access such information from their peers or age-inappropriate literature from the older audiences they interact with. Furthermore, internet access to children is inevitable in this age of digital migration and increased internet penetration worldwide. The sections below comprehensively discusses how sexual misinformation occurs on the internet, Comprehensive sex education, techniques of mitigating misinformation and their contribution to the protection of children within the digital environment.
Sexual misinformation and the internet
There are various techniques utilized by the internet and social media to spread information that contribute to misinformation and its retention among users. One of the techniques is increased emphasis on negative consequences. Dread as a characteristic of health misinformation is often utilized by the internet and social media creators to gain and retain views. It entails the dissemination of rumours that instil fear among information consumers. This emphasis on negative consequences often manipulates users, gaining more coverage than scientifically accurate information. They are greatly disadvantageous since they have a long lasting effect that ultimately negatively impacts internet users. The damage is worse when the users are children. When fear is utilized to pass information, it clouds the critical thinking of the receivers making it difficult for them to better understand sexual and reproductive health related concepts.
The second technique utilised is the propagation of conspiracy theories. Conspiracy theories tend to capture and retain the attention of internet users faster than accurate information. They not only spread misinformation but also persist even though they lack evidence to authenticate their claims. Conspiracy theories like emphasis on negative consequences tend to appeal to the emotions of their consumers hence have a long lasting effect and a great potential to spread and retain misinformation.
The third technique is the use of individual testimonies. Testimonies on contraception and unintended pregnancy, HIV, STIS and STDS, Sexual and reproductive physiology tend to appeal as a more credible source of information than factual accurate information. Unfortunately most of these individual testimonials are usually negative experiences laden with misinformation. Therefore, children end up basing their knowledge on the speculation that their experience in adolescence might be similar to those of persons testifying on social media. Consequently they end up acquiring wrong, age inappropriate information.
The techniques outlined above, make the dissemination of misinformation easier and faster. This has dire consequences especially on younger audiences who are unable to separate fact from myth as they will easily believe whatever sexual information they access on the internet. Sexual misinformation could result in; risky sexual behaviour among teenagers ultimately leading to increased teenage pregnancies and the adoption of misconceptions on sex.
Comprehensive sex education
Every child has the right of access to age-appropriate information on health promotion, and the prevention and treatment of ill-health and disease, mental health and reproductive health. This information should affirm human dignity in human relationships and promote sexual risk avoidance. Age-appropriate comprehensive sex education falls well within the ambits of the foregoing statutory provisions as it addresses the need for sexual and reproductive health information and services among children.
Comprehensive sex education provides young people accurate, age-appropriate information about sexuality and their sexual and reproductive health critical for health and survival. The programmes are required to adhere to the United Nations’ Technical guidance which recommends that the programmes should be based on an established curriculum, scientifically accurate, tailored for different ages and comprehensive in terms of coverage. They should cover a range of categories such as Sexual and reproduction physiology, HIV/ STI prevention, Contraception and unintended pregnancy, values and interpersonal skills; Gender and sexual and reproductive health rights along with topics on puberty, physical changes, where to access HIV/STI services, contraceptive methods and how to use them, prevention of violence and sexual abuse and equality between men and women.
In countries where comprehensive sex education is school-based, evidence indicates lower teenage pregnancy and abortion rates, increased rates of contraceptive use among young people and less cases of discrimination based on gender differences and sexual orientation. Various studies show that comprehensive sex education has various advantages including; decreasing the number of young people engaging in sex at a very young age, increasing knowledge and promoting positive attitude in relation to sexual and reproductive health, increasing effective and consistent use of contraception. This is contrary to the myths propagated by anti-comprehensive sex education ambassadors that it destroys the innocence of children by introducing knowledge on sexual activity at a young age.
In Kenya the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, rejected the idea of introducing comprehensive sex education into the school curriculum. Citing the inability of school going children who are minors to consent to any sexual activity and that such lessons would be tantamount to a violation of children’s rights as guaranteed under the laws of Kenya. The Senior Deputy Director in charge of Curriculum and Research Services was specifically sceptical about introducing lessons on contraceptive use claiming that such information was inappropriate for children in primary and secondary schools.
On the flip side, research conducted in 2017 in Kenya by the Guttmatcher Institute uncovered a differing perspective from learners. According to the research; learners in Kenya actually wanted more information on contraceptives, their use and where to access them; including a shift in the teaching methods utilized during sex education lessons. They requested for the abolition of the fear-inducing, authoritarian methods of teaching sex education urging teachers to adapt more participatory teaching methods such as peer engagement, group learning and role playing. The learners also looked forward to the integration of new methods of content delivery including; the use of audio visual material, the internet and social media. Teachers agreed that the participatory methods and learner-centred methods aimed at imparting students’ values and critical thinking skills revolutionised learning by encouraging more positive outcomes as opposed to full reliance on lectures.
Nexus between comprehensive sexual education and protection within the digital environment
There are two major researched interventions that are potentially effective in dealing with misinformation, these are; corrections and inoculation. Corrections entail the presentation of information to refute an inaccurate claim or misperception. These may be carried out through the provision of highly credible factual information by ensuring that children have access to links displaying expert and scientifically accurate information on sex and sexuality.
Inoculation on the other hand, involves the presentation of credible, factual information in anticipation of misinformation. It is more precautionary than corrective. Here, children are equipped with knowledge beforehand, to ensure they are able to sieve information on the internet promoting the adoption of accurate and age appropriate sexual information.
How then does CSE reinforce protection of children within the digital environment? The advantage of comprehensive sex education is that it could serve both purposes that of corrections and inoculation. Depending on the children’s age and their interaction with the digital environment, caregivers and teachers could carry out an evaluation to gauge the rate of misinformation. Afterwards they will be better equipped to determine whether the children would benefit most from the corrections approach or the inoculation approach.
Techniques of dealing with misinformation
Children may be taught various skills on how to safely navigate the internet to effectively combat sexual misinformation. They should be taught to question all the information they encounter on the internet. This skill may be instilled by raising children to become critical thinkers, especially though answering their questions as they grow and providing reasons for taking various actions. Ultimately, they will also ask questions and seek answers about sexual information that they come across on the internet.
The C.R.A.P detection test is one reliable method of challenging misinformation on the internet. Due to its simplicity it is best suited for younger audiences. The test may be utilized by children who will be required to ask themselves whether the information in question is Current, Reliable, who are its Authors and whether it has Purpose or Perspective. In case the response to any of the questions under the C.R.A.P test is negative, then the information fails to meet the threshold of factual and accurate information and should therefore be disregarded lest it leads to misinformation.
Another technique is lateral reading. This is especially suitable for children between the ages of 11 to 17. Lateral reading entails seeking facts or evidence on a particular piece of information from an alternative source just to verify its credibility. This will involve providing children with trusted sources of sexual information that they can use to crosscheck the accuracy of sexual information from other online sources. The presence of discrepancies will allow children to flag down inaccurate sexual information consequently disregarding it.
Encouraging children to desist from consuming and sharing information from unreliable sources will go a long way since this may spread fear and uncertainty. Internet responsibility may be promoted through teaching children to ensure information is factually accurate before sharing it online or with their peers.
Progress on the protection of children within the digital environment in Kenya
The Kenyan government and stakeholders have taken various steps to ensure that children are protected within the digital environment. Some of these measures include the enactment of legislation and the introduction of comprehensive policy and strategy aimed at ensuring that the digital environment adheres to children’s rights as set out in conventions and domestic statutes.
Kenya has ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. In terms of domestic statutes, the Children Act 2022 operationalizes article 53 of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 which touches on the rights of the child. The statute has provisions that guarantee child online safety and may be used to protect children from sexual misinformation. It categorizes the exposure of children to emotionally traumatic and age-inappropriate content as child abuse. The dissemination of any material information, education or health services that promotes, induces, condones or normalizes sexual activity or behaviours among children with children also amounts to child abuse. The Act further makes it an offence for any person to transmit any obscene material or make such material accessible to children through any electronic system, network or other communication technology.
As discussed above, sexual misinformation may be transmitted in the form of exposure to age inappropriate and explicit content within the digital environment that could end up influencing risky sexual behaviour among children. The techniques used by social media to transmit and retain misinformation may also be described as emotionally traumatic since they induce fear in children.
Other laws on protection from misinformation include; the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act 2018 and the Data protection Act 2019 which both criminalise the intentional publication and dissemination of false, misleading or fictitious data that misinforms with the intent that the data shall be considered or acted upon as authentic. The National Information Communications and Technology policy 2019 calls for measures to promote child online protection. The effect of such laws and policy is that they ensure the internet is free from false information that could result in misinformation among children.
Furthermore, the Communications Authority of Kenya has embraced child online protection through initiating a programme in 2015 to bring together various stakeholders to equip children and caregivers with information and skills to enable them practice safe internet use and minimize exposure to risks and vulnerabilities. The Authority encourages caregivers to teach their children how to safely navigate the internet from an early age, as soon as the children show interest in the digital environment. Dealing with the spread of untrue or misleading information over social media may be mitigated through; education and creating awareness on how to recognize fake news and the dangers of spreading such, users are highly discouraged from sharing information they are unsure about while making sure they report incidences to the relevant organizations.
In terms of the promotion of comprehensive sex education, the Kenyan government has enacted the National Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health Policy under which one of the strategic objectives is increase access to Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health information and age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education.
Recommendations
The implementation of the Competency Based Curriculum within Kenya might just be the perfect opportunity to introduce the comprehensive sex education (CSE) curriculum within schools. This will provide a clear structure of implementation, objectives of the course, credible sources of information, the roles of teachers, parents and the community at large in promoting comprehensive sex education as a mode of protecting children within the digital environment. The Ministry of Education in conjunction with stakeholders from the health sector could come up with online sources on sexual and reproductive information that are current, scientifically accurate and utilize info graphics that are attractive to a younger audience. The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development after confirming that the information is indeed age-appropriate and adheres to the United Nation’s Technical guidelines could then publish such information for use by children under school-based Comprehensive Sex education.
Furthermore, the introduction of a CSE curriculum will provide guidance to caregivers on when and how to introduce sexual education to children as their cognitive abilities develop. The state in performance of its functions should support caregivers in the performance of their child-rearing responsibilities. Through promoting awareness for caregivers to ensure they respect children’s evolving autonomy, capacities and privacy. Furthermore, they should support caregivers in acquiring digital literacy and awareness of risks to children to assist in the realization of their rights including protection on the digital environment. Since children are likely to come across sexual misinformation as they acquaint themselves with the digital environment. They will ultimately be comfortable enough to address sexual misinformation concerns with them before discussing it with their peers who may then contribute to the misinformation.
Aside from utilizing the CBC to introduce a comprehensive sex education curriculum, facilitators could utilize Information and communication technology (ICT) lessons to sensitize learners on the risk of misinformation and how to safely navigate the digital environment. This will require the integration of the techniques of dealing with misinformation as discussed earlier into the existing ICT curriculum while taking into consideration the needs of the Kenyan child. Children will be enabled to approach information from a critical point of view. Furthermore they could receive training on reporting mechanisms to ensure they flag down and report sites perpetuating sexual misinformation. The state should also ensure that sites providing information on the internet apply concise and intelligible content labelling that adequately highlights the age appropriateness of the content and its credibility.
The implementation of the foregoing recommendations could considerably assist in overcoming sexual misinformation among children consequently reinforcing their protection within the digital environment.
Conclusion
Following the increase in children’s exposure to the digital environment it is paramount that they are adequately protected from any risks present. It is not enough to impose restrictions on how they utilise the internet but informing them about the risks therein and ways to combat them is quite effective. Equipping the child with theskills to handle misinformation revolutionises their protection within the digital environment since it is child- centred and it prompts them to become wiser users within the digital environment.Although the government and various stakeholders have put various measures in place to guarantee child online safety, sexual misinformation unfortunately persists. The implementation of the recommendations in this article will assist to deal with the same consequently reducing the effects that sexual misinformation has on children in real life.
