BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-A Master of Arts in Media, Communication, and Development student at the University of Malawi (UNIMA), Nathan Majawa has developed an innovative WhatsApp chatbot called SafeChat Guardian which is designed to help children report online abuse safely and confidentially.
In an interview with Maravi Post, Majawa said the initiative is part of a broader digital media for development effort and is being implemented through a school-based campaign in collaboration with Youth Net and Counselling (YONECO).
“The feature aims to protect children aged 10 to 17 from growing online threats such as cyberbullying, sextortion, and exposure to harmful digital content.
“The chatbot is currently being piloted in four secondary schools in Blantyre namely Zingwangwa, Njamba, Ndirande Hill, and Nyambadwe Private Secondary School,” discloses Majawa.
He added, “The concept was inspired by findings from the 2023 National Survey on Access and Use of Information and Communication Technologies by Households and Individuals in Malawi”.
The survey was conducted by the National Statistical Office (NSO) in partnership with the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA).
According to the survey, although only 4% of children in Malawi have internet access, 23.2% reported experiencing discomfort or distress related to online activity.
Alarmingly, 46.1% of those children said they never reported the incidents to anyone.
