UCC Turns to Young Innovators to Tackle Child Online Safety Threats

What the report says

The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) is asking young developers to help address child online safety risks in Uganda by building technology-driven solutions using artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. According to Nile Post, the regulator launched the effort through its first UCC Testbed Hackathon, held at the National Communications Testbed in Nakawa, where participants were tasked with ideas to confront cyberbullying, online exploitation and harmful digital content.

The two-day event, held under the theme of creating safer digital spaces for children, brought together innovators to test prototypes and receive guidance from technical mentors and implementing partners. UCC said the initiative is intended to support research and homegrown innovation, alongside its broader regulatory role in the communications sector. The National Communications Testbed, hosted at the Uganda Institute of Information and Communications Technology in Nakawa, served as the venue for experimentation and feedback.

The report said the push comes as children’s use of smartphones, social media and other internet services grows, increasing exposure to online risks. It also noted that AI and cybersecurity may help detect harmful activity, but their value will depend on whether the ideas are practical, responsibly deployed and eventually adopted. The article added that the longer-term challenge will be moving the hackathon concepts from prototype stage to real-world use with funding, technical support and testing.