Kids’ online safety, privacy and what to consider before you post.

Sharing that cute photo of your kid’s first day at school may have harmless intentions, but there are downsides to sharing too much information about your little ones online, says Carey van Vlaanderen, CEO of award-winning cybersecurity company ESET Southern Africa.

“It may be hard to imagine now, but there was a time before social media. Before smartphones, and certainly before Facebook and Instagram were founded, parents would lovingly capture snapshots of their children, print the most adorable ones, and curate them into albums destined for the coffee table,” says van Vlaanderen.

Fast forward to 2023, and billions of social media users worldwide, connecting with friends and family and sharing updates in the form of photos and videos is now possible in a matter of seconds. “Improvements in technology and the rising popularity of social media have made it easier than ever for parents to record and share every precious milestone of their kids’ lives, from the first ultrasound scan to the first day of school,” she says. However, ‘sharenting’ – the relatively new term to describe parents sharing the details of their children’s lives online can have potential drawbacks.

Safety first

It is only natural that we want to share the happiest moments of our lives with those we love and connect with daily. “But just as we tell our children not to speak to strangers, it’s important to keep in mind that by its very nature, the online world is filled with people we don’t know. A first-day-of-school photo contains quite a lot of personal information, including your child’s school, their age, and even their teacher’s name,” notes van Vlaanderen.

If you’re comfortable posting photos and videos of your kids on social media, consider the nature of the content you’re sharing and double-check your privacy settings. Most parents are wise to the fact that online predators exist and avoid sharing images of their kids splashing in the bath. Van Vlaanderen says thankfully there’s a growing awareness that such photos can be screenshotted or downloaded and sent to anyone, if not properly protected. “A good rule of thumb is, if there is the slightest doubt in your mind about a photo, it’s probably better not to post it. Another is, to try and imagine how you’d feel if what you’re posting about your child were about you instead,” she says.

Your child’s digital footprint

The first generation of children born in the Facebook era is already in their early 20s, and it is estimated that children born today will have the biggest digital footprint in history. Thinking about the downsides and the potential benefits of this new reality, is helpful for people with children and even those without kids, including employers, recruiters, and educators.

“When you signed up to use your favourite social media platforms, you agreed to those platforms’ terms and conditions. It’s worth bearing in mind that when you post a picture on social platforms, that image is no longer exclusively yours,” explains van Vlaanderen. That’s because the Ts and Cs often state that the moment an image is uploaded onto their server, they are free to use it without consent. While you retain the copyright to the image, the platform whose servers host the image owns the license. “In other words, the social platform is allowed to use your picture in any way they see fit. In addition, social platforms are not responsible for striping your images of metadata. This data may include your location, the type of device used to take the photo and so on.”

Van Vlaanderen says that for the vast majority of people, the choice to create a social media profile and share accordingly has been entirely their own. A toddler today may never even glance at a screen, but still have a social media presence. “Realising your children will inherit the consequences of your online choices, both positive and negative, is worth reflecting on. Your baby will grow into a toddler, then a child, a teen, and finally an adult. They may not give a second thought to a picture you shared of them mid-tantrum when they were 4 years old, but they could also find it deeply embarrassing, or worse, a betrayal of their trust and privacy,” she says.

Identity and self-image

According to a BBC report, estimates suggest that by 2030, sharing by parents could lead to identity fraud that could cost billions per year in damages. The report noted that parents who share the lives of their children online are often ‘lulled into a false sense of security,’ as information including names, ages, dates of birth, and home and school locations, are vulnerable to being misused to hack passwords or for identity fraud scams.

“Aside from the potential harm of identity theft, posting about every single moment of your child’s life may reinforce less than healthy digital habits and create a perception that sharing information online, in whatever context, is safe and harmless. Every picture uploaded, and every update shared also contributes to the construction of an online image that your child will inherit, and depending on your child, may make them self-conscious of what other people think of them or have the effect of them learning to value online validation over real-world experiences and connections,” says van Vlaanderen.

We all want our kids to grow up to use social media and online spaces safely and responsibly, to understand the potential dangers while also enjoying the fun side of it. “Does any of this mean we shouldn’t share our proudest parenting moments online, or give up social media altogether? That’s a personal choice every parent has to make based on what works best for them and their family – but we can all be smarter about what we share and how we share it,” she adds.

By Olutayo Irantiola

The unfolding University degree saga in Nigeria has brought to the fore the need for our country to look inward and strengthen our academic heritage. It is pretty unfortunate where we have found ourselves as a country. I am not a beneficiary of the heydays when university students each chicken on Sundays, but the system has continued to nosedive year in and year out.

It is getting to a point where the federal government needs to evaluate its students across the globe so that we can effectively understand our situation. What do people want from the Nigerian educational system to ascertain where we are getting it wrong? This brings to mind the number of students who are “exiled” so that they can get globally competitive certificates. In 2022 and 2023 respectively, Nigerian students have experienced war in Sudan Russia and Ukraine.

One of the most disheartening things about our tertiary institution is that passing the West African Examination Council Nigeria (WASC), Joint Admission Matriculation Board Examinations, and Post-JAMB of the various institutions, you are not guaranteed admission into your course of choice and even the university of choice. You have to scramble for admission; seek a lecturer to help follow up on your admission. All these gave rise to people seeking admission in neighbouring countries.

With a burgeoning youthful population, there is a need for the government to enlarge the capacity of the various institutions, but we keep tightening the admission measures as typified above. We cannot continue to allot admission quotas to institutions every session and expect parents who do not know anyone to keep their children at home for years while waiting for admission.

Until recently, first-class degrees were rare in Federal and State Universities because many lecturers believed that God was the only one who owned first-class while the lecturer owned second-class upper degrees, and students could jostle second-class lower and third-class degrees. Whereas the labour market had labelled students with such degrees as “half-baked and unemployable”. All these made parents get loans to train their children in all these mushroom institutions in the neighbouring countries.

Aside from the deep-pocket Nigerians who can afford to send their children to Ivy League universities in Europe and America, people are looking for ways in which their wards will save years in the university due to the incessant strikes that last many months. Meanwhile, the government and the academic workforce have little or nothing to lose at the expense of the students’ lives. How long will Nigerian students have a timeline for completing a bachelor’s degree programme?

Another issue we have as a country is the conversion of all tertiary levels of education to Universities. No institution trains teachers again; it is now a University; no institution trains technicians again, and everyone wants to become an Engineer. People without a University education cannot go beyond certain levels in Civil Service, amongst other limitations we place on our nationals. Then, people can troop into another country to get a University degree of any type. This unrealistic demand of society has pushed students out of the country.

It might be a bitter pill to swallow, but people will want to go for any form of education, and the recent increase in fees paid in Nigerian tertiary institutions is not encouraging. Truly, the government is doing everything to reduce subsidy across the board, but Nigerians cannot see the additional value to the students. People will only go for a shortcut to beat the system as well.

There is a growing phenomenon now, Nigerians are gunning for honorary doctorate degrees, and all of these degrees are coming from the same institutions that the Ministry of Education is suspending the accreditation and evaluation of degree certificates from in Benin Republic, Togo, Uganda, Kenya and Niger Republic. Do we need to wait for a Crisis to break out before we take the appropriate steps?

I am not justifying wrongs, but it is a charge for the government and academic leaders to wake up from their age-long slumber; they need to find ways of redeeming the educational image of the country and overhauling the educational sector. A quote by the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, “To attain the goals of economic freedom and prosperity, Nigeria must do certain things as a matter of urgency and priority. It must provide free education at all levels and free health facilities for the masses of its citizens”. If it is not free now, we need to get it right if we will stop falling to the tricks being paid on Nigerians by other countries in our search for certificates.

Olutayo Irantiola,

a Lagos-based PR Consultant, Playwright and Biographer, blogs on www.peodavies.com. 

…Director of Information Pledges New Approach to Communication after Training

The Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu has stated that investing in human capital development and staff motivation remain the best ways of repositioning the Agency into a power-house of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) at the global scene.

In his keynote address, at the opening ceremony of a 5-Day training for Information, New Media and Protocol staff of the Agency, drawn from the Headquarters and Institutes, on New Media and Protocol Strategies for a Modern Government Agency in the 21st century, held on Monday at the Exclusive Serene Hotel, Wuye, Abuja, Mr. Halilu said that investing in staff training and development was vital for the success of any organization.

According to him, “We are building a new NASENI where one of the overarching goals is to have well trained employees with knowledge and requisite technical, vocational and management skills required for the Agency’s growth and technology advancement. He said this reorientation would equip us to bring to fruition the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed TinubuAdministration and also the Eight Priority Areas of the administration.”

Buttressing the mandate of the Agency, the NASENI boss noted that the Agency’s mission is to drive Nigeria’s rapid industrialization through the new three Cs of Collaboration, Creation and Commercialization.

He added that in the past four months since he took over the leadership of NASENI, the Agency has embarked on new partnerships and collaborations aimed at turning NASENI’s over 150 scientific and technological prototypes, products and intellectual properties rights (IPR) into finished products.

“We have signed multibillion dollars new Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) and revived old ones with international technical partners to establish coal-based fertilizer plant, Lithium processing and Electric Vehicle (EV) manufacturing plant,  Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for Agric afforestation, smart solar irrigation, tractor repairs and crop traceability for food security,” he further explained.

He said that the 5-Day intensive training programme will enable information and Protocol staff of the Agency to catch-up with the current trends and international standards required for Mastering the Intricacies of New Media and Protocol Strategies that would take the Agency to greater heights.

“We have assembled about forty-one (41) staff responsible for information and protocol activities from ourHeadquarters and Institutes to benefit from this training. This training will upskill the crop of staffto communicate our new strategy and partnerships to different publics”, he stated.

He said that he was confident that by the end of the training, the staff of Information, Protocol and New Media Unit would be equipped with requisite skills to be at par with contemporaries in the public and private sectors as well as those in international sphere.

The Coordinating Director, Engineering Infrastructure, Prof. Bagudu Dansheu Gwadangaji who was ably represented by Engr. Dr. Olayode Olasupo urged the Information Staff to adapt to new media and protocol strategies to ensure the continued success and relevance of NASENI.

Encouraging the participants, he said, “Your presence at this training signifies not only personal and professional growth but also a collective effort to enhance our capabilities as a forward-thinking government agency.”

“I encourage you to actively engage in the sessions, collaborate with your peers, and absorb the wealth of knowledge that this training has to offer. The insights gained here will understandably contribute to your skills, allowing you to make valuable contributions to our ICT initiatives, he said.

Also, the Coordinating Director, Science Infrastructure, Prof Umar Ibrahim Gaya stated that the theme of the training was timely as it will equip participants with necessary skills and tools to combat fake news which can affect organizations negatively.

“When you talk about NASENI, so many things come to mind. As an Agency with first line charge from the Federation Account, there is likely to be fake news out there about us. Therefore, this training will help equip the participants to separate information from misinformation and misrepresentation. We hope your deliberations will help the EVC/CEO and Management to achieve the Agency’s mandate. Prof. Gaya added.

In his welcome address, the Director of Information, Protocol and New Media Unit, Mr. SegunAyeoyenikan commended the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive of NASENI, Mr. Khalil Halilu for making staff motivation, development and productivity top priorities in his agenda since he assumed the position as EVC/CEO barely four Months ago.

He said in an era defined by rapid advancement, the training was a crucial step towards navigating the complexities of digital age, adding that the new slogan in the media profession and business world is “You either communicate or you are easily forgotten, because of the complexities or sophistication of the society wherein we live today”

Throwing more light on the training, he said the training for the Communication and Media arm of the Agency, the first of its kind in 33 years, was indeed timely with the wave of reforms currently sweeping across the Agency with the coming on board of a Techpreneur, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu.

“The Information, New Media and Protocol Department play a critical role of projecting the image, products, mission and vision of the Agencyamongst its technology end-users and critical stakeholders”, he said.

“The EVC/CEO has committed to building a 21st century institution built on the 3 core principles of Collaboration, Creation and Commercialization guided by a strategic corporate plan which ensures that NASENI’s human and material resources are optimally harnessed with a view to achieving the Federal Government’s Industrialization drive.

While welcoming the participants to the training, he pointed out that the training marked the beginning of a journey towards an enhanced popularization of digital skills communication and knowledge sharing within the NASENI Headquarters and Institutes’ Information and Protocol, more effectively.

Pointing out that the knowledge acquired from this training promised to reposition NASENI into one of the foremost agencies of the Federal Government, he called on all the participants to see the training as a call to duty and to ensure use of the opportunity and strive for excellence.

*1. STOP THE WORRY AND ANXIETY:* You cannot settle all financial expenses in one day. Those who did are stressfully sick and some are buried already.

*2. CREATE TIME TO REST:* Please create time to rest, it is not a sin to sit down , put up your legs on the table and pick popcorn whilst reading a book or just relaxing

*3. PLEASE SLEEP IF NEED BE:* Please sleep if need be that headache will go. Those who refuse to take vacation, or leave, or time out or rest time, their families are missing them because they have gone untimely to their maker.

*4. STOP TAKING SEDATIVES TO SLEEP:* Stop taking sedatives to sleep, you are destroying your brain and organs. At a point you will begin to forget things. Relax the brain , worry less, think less, laugh more , smile more. Everything will pass with time.

*5. GO AND SIT OUTSIDE QUIETLY:* Sometimes go and sit outside quietly on your own, do nothing say nothing , just admire God’s handiwork, breathe in fresh air calmly. Hurry not.

*6. STAND BY YOURSELF BY YOUR MIRROR SMILE TO YOURSELF:* Stand by your mirror smile to yourself, laugh , dance, sing, that turns on a positive aura around you so you can glow.

*7. DO SOME THINGS BY YOURSELF:* Go buy yourself a snack or two with drink if you choose to do so. Just do something for yourself, so you offload the things in your head.

*8. IF YOU ARE NOT FEELING WELL, SAY IT:* If you are not feeling well say it , do something about it, go to health centre, hospital or call a nearby nurse, do not sit around, your life matters .

*9. CHECK YOUR BP AND SIGAL LEVEL OFTEN:* Whether you are sick or not. It has saved a lot of men in the past. Trust me on this.

Remember to share with all the men you love & let them enjoy 2024 in good health and abundance.
: Gentlemen this is a reminder to all of us. *WE ARE IMPORTANT AND MUST TAKE CARE OF OURSELVES.*