Parents must now register their children using cards or face a fine of KSh 300,000.

Parents and telecom operators who violate the Child Online Protection and Safety Guidelines will face a fine of Ksh 300,000 or a six-month prison sentence or both. Telcos, Internet service providers, and app developers are required to check the age of their customers under the standards. This is a step toward regulating the registration of youngsters who use SIM cards or cell phones.

Parents must register their children using SIM cards, otherwise, they may be fined.

The internet has been increasingly accessible in recent years, and gadgets have gotten more inexpensive. Minors have been permitted to register SIM cards under their parents’ accounts, giving them unrestricted access to the internet. Given the widespread adoption of digital learning, this is a beneficial move for access to academic resources. However, the disadvantages that come with it have caused grave alarm.

For children, vices like pornography, cyberbullying, and identity theft is risky territory. People may be required to confirm their age through a third-party service under the new measure. This would help to keep youngsters away from explicit content.

Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) regulations. “Mobile phone subscribers are informed of the need to appropriately register their SIM cards and declare the intended subscribers of the SIM cards.”

In the struggle to regulate children’s access to hazardous information, vendors selling smartphones and tablets will be compelled to take on greater responsibilities. Their user manuals will have to provide instructions on how to utilize built-in programs like parental control to limit the information that children may access through their cellphones. Parents may check the surfing history of their supervised children, restrict certain websites, and approve access requests.

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