Parents will have to pay a fine of 300,000 for SIM card registration of the child.
New guidelines require parents to provide child’s identity while registering SIM card for them.
The latest push by the government to protect minors from online abuse could lead to parents and mobile service providers being fined up to 300,000 for failing to register SIM cards used by children under the minor’s name.
Proposed child online safety and security guidelines issued last week require parents to provide the child’s identity when registering a SIM card to be used by a minor.
This is a step up from the current system where parents use their credentials to register SIM cards for their children.
“Mobile phone customers are hereby informed of the need to register their SIM cards appropriately and declare the intended customers of the SIM card,” said the guidelines issued by the Communications Authority of Kenya.
The new measures aim to better protect children from online risks such as cyberbullying, identity theft, inappropriate contact with adults among other things.
“In the development of age-verification mechanism, mobile service providers (should) ensure that all SIM cards used by children/minors are registered,” the guidelines say.
The new SIM registration rules will enable the Communications Authority of Kenya to develop a registry of children using smartphones in the country.
This will be the first time the regulator will have such a registry as it intensifies measures to restrict exposure of minors to harmful web content.
The registration of the SIM card will be done under the Kenya Information and Communications Regulations of 2015.
The parent or telecom firm that fails to comply with the registration guidelines could face a jail term of six months or a fine of 300,000 shillings.
Internet safety for children has become a major concern as more minors use smartphones and surf the Internet at a young age.
This has been attributed to the low prices of gadgets and the increasing use of mobile phones to access online education material.
