Society
Digital: Children increasingly using social media
Participants at the 2nd edition of For Good Connections in Toamasina. Children are increasingly accessing social media despite the ban for under-13s. "Very young children come to connect at our place. We're not sure their parents know about their social media use," confides a cybercafé manager yesterday. Others have their parents' approval, who have bought them their own phones. "I promised my daughter a phone if she passed her CEPE exam. A promise is a promise. Since then, she checks TikTok and Facebook, but I watch closely how she uses it to avoid harassment," says Arovonjy Helisoa, a mother. This early presence on social media particularly exposes children to cyberbullying. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 16% of young people aged 11 to 15 have already been victims of online harassment, a figure that appears to be rising. "Absorbed by our daily lives, we parents sometimes forget to raise awareness and protect our children in the digital world," laments Alice Bodovelo, CSR manager at Orange Madagascar. During the 2nd edition of For Good Connections Days, organized by Orange Madagascar on July 31 and August 1, 2026 in Toamasina, several activities were conducted to protect children from cyberbullying. "We raised awareness among children about good practices on social media by training them on online risks, cybercrime and screen time management," says Anita Rakotomalala, department head and partnerships at Orange Madagascar. Children also learned about cyberbullying, inappropriate content, responsible digital use, and misinformation. "We taught them what to do when posting on social media, how to protect their passwords and that they must ask their parents' advice when they want to post something on social media," explains Alice Bodovelo. Tanjona Rasoloherimanalina, from Jsem Nanisana, a football club, affirms that this knowledge is essential for children. Miangaly Ralitera
Source: L'Express de Madagascar