In a bid to promote the safety of children online, a Master of Arts in Media, Communication, and Development student at the University of Malawi (UNIMA), Nathan Majawa, has developed an innovative WhatsApp chatbot named SafeChat Guardian.
The project, which will run from 1st July to 31st July 2025, is part of a broader digital media for development effort aimed at protecting children aged between 10 and 17 from increasing online risks such as cyberbullying, sextortion, and exposure to harmful online content.
According to Majawa, the SafeChat Guardian chatbot, integrated with YONECO’s child protection channels, allows young users to report harmful digital experiences via WhatsApp in a friendly and confidential format and they are then linked to professional support from child protection officers or counsellors.
“As a student of Media and Communication for Development, I wanted to use digital tools to create something practical and life-changing. This chatbot is designed to give children a voice and a safe space online,” said Majawa.
The chatbot is being piloted in four Blantyre-based secondary schools namely Zingwangwa Secondary School, Njamba Secondary School, Ndirande Hill Secondary School and Nyambadwe Private Secondary School.