Unplanned early pregnancies among students has emerged as another negative impact of the internet. This was revealed at Salima Secondary School during the ongoing Safer Internet Day outreach campaign being held across the country.
During the interface, the students admitted that they are addicted to watching pornographic materials with male friends and relatives, a development they said was leading to casual and unprotected sex that results in unwanted pregnancies.In his keynote address, Centre for Youth and Children’s Affairs (CEYCA) Executive Director Desmond Mhango concurred with the students saying his organization has been receiving reports that some children got pregnant after having sex with members whom they were watching pornographic materials.
Mhango urged the students to refrain from this malpractice and appealed to them to also avoid meeting strangers online. He said they must physically meet someone they have encountered online only after being sure of their safety or they should always be in the company of others.“You can meet them in the presence of parents, guardians, or a trusted adult,” he said.
#MACRA, in partnership with several local NGOs, has been conducting these outreach interfaces with students from selected schools across Malawi as part of the cyber security awareness initiative in commemoration of the Safer Internet Day 2024.