Burkina/ Responsible use of social networks: ABPEMIN à l'information et au numérique raises awareness among soldiers' children

On Saturday, January 18, 2025, the Centre culturel des armées hosted a cultural day for soldiers' children, with 400 children taking part. Organized by the Armed Forces Cultural Center in partnership with the Convergence theater company, the aim of the day was to bring together soldiers' children to raise their awareness of their parents' profession.

One of the day's highlights was an awareness-raising session on the dangers of using social networks, led by Farida Thiombiano, coordinator of the media, information and digital education program of the Association burkinabè pour la promotion d'éducation aux médias à l'information et numérique (ABPEMIN) and a journalist with Lefaso.ducation aux médias, à l'information et au numérique program of the Association burkinabè pour la promotion de l'éducation aux médias à l'information et au numérique (ABPEMIN) and journalist at Lefaso.net.

The session taught children best practices for protecting their privacy and security online. In particular, Farida Thiombiano stressed the need to obtain parental permission before using a phone, and the importance of paying attention to content followed on platforms such as TikTok and YouTube.

"These are kids who, because their dad's not around very often, they're with their mom and they're very often used to holding their phones, distracting themselves with them. So the idea was to teach them how to make better use of their phones. Communication was essentially twofold. Firstly, to make them understand that they always need their parents' permission before picking up a phone, because they don't yet own a phone. They very often use their moms' or dads' phones. And we can see that children often hide to take their parents' phones, manipulating them without their knowledge, and that's not a good habit. That's why it's so important to have parental permission. And even when they do, they should always warn parents about which social networks they're going to, because they've mentioned that they go on TikTok, they also often go on YouTube to watch videos. They also need to be careful about the types of content they follow," she said.

She also reminded parents to be vigilant about their children's use of phones, to protect them from inappropriate content.

The children reacted positively to this sensitization. Serge Samsonré shared his experience. "I don't have a phone yet, but I use my mother's to communicate with my father. I remember that if we want to take someone's phone, we have to get their permission and not go to sites that are not our age."

Moïse Ouédraogo, soon to be ten, said he had a cell phone, but thanks to this communication, he'll know how to use it better. "I use my phone to chat with my friends on WhatsApp and also watch videos on TikTok. I remember that if I see something on TikTok that scares me, I have to change and talk to my parents about it," he says.

Six-year-old Imane Haïssé added that she often uses her mother's phone to play. She stressed the importance of asking permission before using a phone, to avoid accessing inappropriate content.

As well as learning about the responsible use of social networks, the children also visited the army museum.

Alongside these cultural discoveries, fun and interactive activities were organized to stimulate their creativity and encourage a spirit of camaraderie and sharing. The day was also punctuated by musical, dance and theatrical performances.

Source: lefaso.net/