Police urge parents to monitor children’s social media use
Police in Matabeleland South have urged parents and guardians to closely monitor and supervise the content their children are exposed to on social media, amid rising cases of child abuse linked to online influence.
Addressing community members in Gwanda Urban recently, Matabeleland South provincial police spokesperson Inspector Chiratidzo Dube said children were increasingly becoming both victims and perpetrators of sexual abuse after being influenced by inappropriate content accessed through social media.
She urged parents and guardians to actively censor and regulate content accessed by children on cell phones, laptops and other electronic gadgets.
“In 2025, we recorded cases where children were victims of sexual abuse after being influenced by content they viewed on their parents’ phones. Let us not allow artificial intelligence and technology to parent our children,” said Insp Dube.
“Some children were also perpetrators in these cases. As parents and guardians, we must continue playing our role by monitoring and supervising what our children watch on phones and other devices.”
Inspector Dube emphasised the importance of building strong family relationships to encourage open communication between parents and children.
“Let us establish strong bonds and relationships with our children so that when something befalls them, they feel free to share with their parents. We have cases where child abuse is reported a month after it occurs because children are not at liberty to disclose to their parents,” she said.
She warned that unchecked technology use was eroding family bonds and weakening the family unit.
“Technology has created a gap between family members and compromised family bonds. The family unit remains crucial in the development and nurturing of children,” said Insp Dube.
