It is imperative for young girls to be mindful of their interactions on social media to protect their dignity and prevent them from losing great opportunities due to negative posts they share on their platforms.
Also, sometimes some social media users engage in cyber bullying, and this exposes girls to online harassment, verbal abuse and public shaming.
This Assertion was made by Madam Elsie Boateng, a representative of an NGO known as The Woman called She, at the second edition of Leading Ladies Network (LLN) mentorship event held at the Pokuase Bethel Methodist Church in the Ga North Municipality of the Greater Accra Region.
More than 200 young girls from selected schools in the municipality benefitted from the session, making it a total of about 500 young girls, benefitting so far from LLN’s ongoing mentorship programme for young girlsin Ga North, which begun on May 4.
Already, the NGO has held similar programmes within the same municipality over the years, reaching thousands of girls and coaching them on how to become responsible leaders in the future.
According to Madam Boateng, social media has exposed many young girls to negative influences and risky behaviours, as users usually encounter content promoting unhealthy habits such as pornography, self-harm challenges among others.
Such exposures, she said could potentially influence the behaviour of young girls in a detrimental manner.
“Social media can be a major distraction for young girls, diverting their attention from their academic pursuits. This is because constant scrolling and checking of notifications negatively affects their concentration and productivity,” she added.
To mitigate these negative impacts, she stressed the need for parents to ensure they monitored the online activities of their wards or strictly reduce the time they spent on the internet.
Also, she explained that it was crucial for policy makers in the country to promote digital literacy while raising awareness about the potential dangers of social media and provide young girls with the necessary tools to safely navigate the online world.
Madam Boateng further indicated that social media was not entirely bad as it also has enormous benefits and opportunities for information sharing and networking.
“Despite the negative side of social media, there are benefits as well. We are just trying to ensure our young girls remain on the positive side or avoid it for now until they become adults and mature enough to resist the temptation of indulging in negative online behaviours,” she said.
On her part, Founder, LLN Madam Yawa Hansen-Quao encouraged the pupils to be God fearing, have confidence and prioritise discipline.
According to her,young girls needed to have confidence because confidence was closely linked to leadership and empowerment.
Explaining, she said when young girls are confident, they are more likely to take up leadership roles, voice out their opinions and contribute to their communities.
She said confidence also empowers girls to believe in their ability to effect change wherever they found themselves, to make a positive impact on the world around them.
“Confidence is not about being perfect, it is about embracing oneself, recognizing ones strength and having a positive mindset,” she added.
In furtherance, she urged young girls to desist from looking down upon themselves and believe they could achieve whatever they wish to accomplish.
Madam Hansen-Quao also advised them to ensure they showed respect to every person they encountered because “leaders lead best when they treat people well.”
Administrator, LLN, Madam Felicia Mensah in her remarks advocated for the creation of the right environment for young girls to grow and achieve their dreams.
She also appealed to parents and guardians to desist from discouraging their wards against aspiring to become politicians in future, saying not all politicians are corrupt.
BY RAISSA SAMBOU
