Parents in Kenya are set to get new tools to manage how their children use the internet, with major service providers preparing parental control features that can limit both screen time and access to specific content.
Safaricom said its version is in the final stages of refinement. Director for Corporate Affairs Stephen Chege said the company is working on a feature that will let parents apply filters to block what children can reach online.
Jamii Telecom also signaled that it is moving in the same direction. Managing director John Kamau said fixed-line internet can be switched off more easily, but mobile phones give parents less control over what children consume. He added that the company will launch a product that restricts both the time spent online and the content accessed.
The planned controls come as operators respond to growing concerns about children’s exposure to cyber-bullying, pornography and online scams. The changes are expected to give families more practical control over broadband use at home and on mobile devices.
Safaricom, Airtel Kenya, Telkom Kenya and Jamii Telecom also signed a charter backed by the GSM Association and the Communications Authority of Kenya to support child online safety. The agreement commits the parties to work on educational and awareness programmes aimed at reducing online abuse of children.
Telkom Kenya’s chief legal and regulatory officer, Clare Ruto, said the challenge of creating a safer internet will remain pressing because children now have greater access to the web and are more digitally aware than previous generations.
GSMA head of sub-Saharan Africa Akinwale Goodluck said Kenya is the first country in Africa to sign the Child Online Protection charter, describing it as a sign that operators and the regulator want a safer and more reliable online experience for young users.
The initiative is expected to give parents more leverage in dealing with harmful online material while pushing providers and regulators to expand child protection measures across the sector.
