In an age when the internet has turned everyone into a publisher, the simple act of sharing something online can be as casual as a tap on the screen. Yet that tap can carry consequences far heavier than most young people imagine. The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has therefore sounded a clear and urgent call: the youth of Ghana must take responsibility for what they put into the digital world, because false information has the power to wound people deeply and to shake the very foundations of the country. Speaking at a youth media literacy programme organized with the French Embassy, NCCE Chairperson Kathleen Addy did not deliver a distant lecture about rules and penalties. Instead, she spoke directly to the young people in the room, reminding them that they are not powerless in the face of disinformation. One of the most important levers, she explained, is the decision to share or not to share. “The action, the thing that is within our power, is the power of sharing. If we all decide to stop sharing, there will be this big difference,” she said. This simple statement captures a profound truth: in the endless flood of posts, videos and forwards, each individual acts as a gatekeeper. The moment we press the share button, we decide what deserves attention and what does not. With that choice comes responsibility. Addy urged young people to refuse to circulate unverified content, especially material that could damage another person’s reputation. Her message was not about silencing voices or shying away from debate; it was about pausing, reflecting and remembering that real human beings live behind every profile and every headline. A more responsible digital culture, she suggested, begins when enough people make the same small but powerful decision: to stop spreading things they have not checked and cannot stand behind.
The emotional weight of Addy’s warning becomes clear when one imagines the experience of waking up to a ruined reputation. She painted a painfully familiar picture: a morning scroll through social media, and there it is — a video of you, manipulated and twisted, or a private detail someone has exposed to the world. “There is nothing more painful than to wake up, open your socials and see something trending about you or someone else because it’s the publication of personal information that someone has put out there or somebody has manipulated a video to make it seem that it is you,” she said. In a culture where so much of our life is lived publicly online, the damage can be sudden and severe. Victims may feel exposed, humiliated, anxious and utterly alone. Addy did not soft-pedal this reality. “You know this thing can cause a lot of trauma. This is very traumatic, and I know that a lot of you have been on the receiving end of shareable things like this,” she said. In those words, she acknowledged that many of the students in the room had not only witnessed online harm but had also felt it themselves. This is not an abstract issue for distant strangers; it is a familiar ache for many. Digital misinformation is often discussed in terms of facts and truth, but Addy reminded everyone that it is equally a matter of mental health and human dignity. When false stories go viral, the person at the centre of the story does not simply become a statistic. They carry the shame, fear and anger long after the post is deleted. That is why refusing to circulate unverified content is not merely an intellectual exercise; it is an act of empathy. Before forwarding a sensational image or a shocking accusation, each person should ask themselves: what if this were me? What if this were someone I love? What if I am being used as a tool to destroy another person’s life for a little online attention? These questions can be a quiet shield against the cruelty of digital harassment. Addy’s challenge to the youth was to be a source of healing rather than harm, to break the cycle of thoughtless sharing and to protect the people who are most vulnerable to the viral cruelty of the internet.
The danger of disinformation, however, does not end at the individual. It spreads outward like ripples in a pond, and in a country like Ghana, it can quickly grow into a wave of anger and retaliation. Addy warned that the national consequences of false information are severe. “At the national level as a country, we face huge existential threats because little bits of information can bring about anger, can bring about people feeling they have to retaliate,” she said. This is an important reminder that social media is not a separate universe sealed off from the streets, homes and villages of real Ghana. The rumors, doctored videos and fabricated posts that circulate online eventually shape how people see each other, how they vote, how they treat their neighbours and how they respond in moments of crisis. A single misleading message can create suspicion between communities, inflame old tensions and push a group of people towards violence. When a manipulated image suggests that one tribe, religion or political group has attacked another, the consequences can be deadly. Addy’s phrase “existential threats” may sound dramatic, but it is not an exaggeration. Many countries have seen social cohesion collapse under the weight of digital lies. Democratic institutions become weaker when citizens no longer trust the information they receive. Communities become fragmented when false stories reinforce stereotypes. The internet was supposed to bring people closer together, but in the hands of those who spread misinformation, it has also become a weapon that divides, disturbs and destabilizes. What makes this especially frightening is the speed at which it happens. A rumour can travel across the country before anyone has a chance to correct it. By the time the truth arrives, it is too late: trust has been broken, reputations have been destroyed, and in the worst cases, lives have been lost. That is why Addy’s message is so urgent. The fight against disinformation is not just about protecting individuals; it is about defending the peace and stability of the whole nation. Every Ghanaian who chooses to verify before sharing is therefore contributing to national security in a quiet but crucial way.
So what can ordinary young people do? According to Addy, the answer is closer than they think. They do not need to build elaborate technological systems or launch massive campaigns. They already have a powerful tool in their hands — the power of choice. “If we all decide to stop sharing, there will be this big difference,” she said. This is a message of hope. It acknowledges that the flow of misinformation is not an unstoppable force; it depends on the actions of millions of individuals, and those actions can change. Addy called on students to recognize the role they play in the spread of harmful content. They are not passive consumers of media; they are active participants. Every time they see a message that makes them angry, they have the opportunity to pause and ask whether it is true. Every time they feel the urge to share a story that could hurt someone, they have the chance to resist. This is not always easy. Social media platforms are designed to reward instant reactions. A snappy headline, an outrageous video, a shocking accusation — these are the things that generate likes, shares and comments. But Addy’s message is a reminder that we do not have to follow the algorithm. We can be more thoughtful than the machines that try to predict our behaviour. We can choose to be sources of sanity in an increasingly chaotic digital world. Responsible social media use is not about avoiding difficult conversations or pretending that all is well. It is about approaching information with a critical mind and a caring heart. It means checking the source, reading beyond the headline, looking for official confirmation and taking the time to understand context. It also means understanding the difference between sharing something because it matters and sharing something because it makes us feel important. The latter, Addy suggests, is not enough justification to put another person’s life at risk. By taking responsibility for what they share, young people become digital citizens in the truest sense: people who help shape a public space that is honest, kind and stable.
This vision of digital citizenship is exactly what the youth media literacy programme seeks to build. Organised by the NCCE in partnership with the French Embassy, the programme brought together students from six senior high schools: Armed Forces Senior High School, Tema Senior High School, Presbyterian Boys’ Secondary School, Achimota Senior High School, St. Mary’s Senior High School and West African Senior High School. These students represent different backgrounds and experiences, but they all face the same digital realities. They have grown up in a world where information and misinformation are tangled together, where social media can be a lifeline or a trap, where friends and strangers alike can spread a lie with a single click. The programme was designed to help them navigate this complicated terrain. Its goals include identifying disinformation, assessing online information critically, promoting responsible social media use, and encouraging a deeper sense of digital citizenship. But the programme was not meant to be a one-time classroom exercise. It was designed to create a ripple effect: when students learn how to identify and challenge false information, they carry those skills back to their families, their friends and their communities. They become ambassadors for truth in spaces where fake news can often spread unchecked. The choice of schools also suggests a deliberate effort to reach young people at a formative moment in their lives. These are students on the verge of adulthood, preparing to vote, to work, to lead and to set examples for others. If they can learn now that their online actions have real-world consequences, they will be better prepared to resist the manipulation and propaganda that have become so common in modern politics and society. The classroom conversations, workshops and activities at the programme may seem small, but they are part of a larger movement to raise a generation that values evidence, empathy and responsibility over outrage and sensationalism.
The partnership between the NCCE and the French Embassy is a reminder that this struggle is not confined to Ghana. As Marine Dolomie, the French Embassy’s Cooperation Attaché, noted, “This issue is not only in Ghana; it’s not only in France; it’s everywhere, and that’s why we all have the collective responsibility, as individuals and as an organisation, to educate ourselves on this issue and work together to fight against this.” Her words underline a crucial point: disinformation is a global challenge that requires global solidarity. No country is immune to its dangers. In France, Ghana, and everywhere in between, false information can tear at social ties, undermine trust and inspire fear. But because the challenge is shared, so is the response. The collaboration between the NCCE and the French Embassy shows how institutions from different parts of the world can join forces to protect citizens from a common threat. They bring resources, expertise and international experience to the table, and they work with local organisations who understand the specific contexts and languages in which disinformation spreads. Dolomie commended the NCCE for its work in educating young people and expressed the Embassy’s pleasure in partnering with the Commission on this initiative. Her words were not just diplomatic courtesy; they were recognition of the important work being done on the ground. It takes courage for an institution to look at young people and say: we trust you, we need you, and we believe you can make a difference. The NCCE and the French Embassy, through their partnership, have done exactly that. They have created a space where students can learn, ask questions and become part of a solution. The road ahead is long. The internet will continue to change, new platforms will appear, and disinformation will become more sophisticated. But the message from Addy, Dolomie and the young people who participated in the programme is one of hope. If more people choose to share responsibly, to question what they see, to protect the reputations of others and to care for the stability of their nation, the power of misinformation will weaken. It begins with a single pause, a single decision, a single refusal to pass on a lie. And when enough people make that decision, as Addy said, there will be a big difference. That difference is the world young Ghanaians can create — a world a little more truthful, a little more compassionate, and a little more peaceful for everyone.