Uganda is exploring legal measures to require parents to disclose to authorities all subscriber identity module (SIM) numbers used by their children.
The proposal forms part of efforts to protect minors online amid rising cases of abuse targeting children.
Nyombi Thembo, executive director of the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), was speaking at the two-day Testbest Hackathon, hosted by the regulator at the Uganda Institute of Information Technology in Nakawa.
“We are also exploring regulatory mechanisms that require parents to disclose all SIM numbers used by minors,” he said.
“This will allow telecom operators to create dedicated databases for child-held devices, enabling targeted technological safeguards to take effect,” Thembo explained.
He noted that protecting children online was not solely the government's responsibility.
“Parents are the primary gatekeepers. As regulators, we plan to launch major annual engagements that bring parents together with key community organisations to raise awareness of online child safety.”
Thembo said children in Uganda were interacting with an online world of more than six billion people, which offered learning opportunities but also exposed them to serious risks, including cyberbullying, harmful content, online grooming and exploitation.
The Nakawa hackathon attracted more than 400 applications, with only 40 young innovators, including 13 female participants, selected to develop AI-driven solutions for child online safety.
Held under the theme “Innovating Safer Cyber Spaces for Children Through Artificial Intelligence”, the event provided a platform for participants to work with mentors to develop and test practical solutions addressing online risks such as cyberbullying, harmful content, grooming and exploitation, while promoting safer internet use among children.
According to the UCC, up to 88.5% of students in Uganda face digital risks, including cyberbullying, hate speech and misinformation, while 70.1% encounter explicit sexual messages.
The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development and the United Nations Children's Fund have also been working on a National Child Protection Action Plan to address online child sexual exploitation and abuse.
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