A public relations practitioner wants government to enact a regulatory framework to control pornography on the internet.

Razak Kojo Opoku said it was an undeniable fact that most children are growing up with the internet being a central part of their lives and must not be exposed to it.

The PRO of the National Lotteries Authority said the internet is now an integral part of people's everyday lives and children's moral fibre and is, therefore, imperative that parents guard their children’s lives to ensure they grow up as responsible adults.

In an interview in Accra over the weekend that he said, "This needs a collective effort between parents and the Government to stem unguarded access to the internet (pornographic materials) by our future generation."

Mr Razak Opoku acknowledged that technology brings many benefits to the country's development especially in recent times when Covid-19 hit the world unexpectedly and truncated the educational calendar and brick-and-mortar teaching.

"The internet has been good, maintaining our children in virtual schooling and online classes, which was an opportunity for the children who had unlimited and uncontrollable access to the internet."

"Nobody was regulating or monitoring what they were or are watching now on their smartphones? But whatever they were or are watching on the internet largely influences their lives. The content on the internet is shaping their lives which could be bad, good or pornographic material which you may recommend for only adults to watch and (even in this instance is not helpful to the sexual life of adults)".

He said these should form part of the cogent reasons that government as a chief regulator, must speed up with measures in place to regulate the content of the internet in Ghana.

"In the United States, United Kingdom, Arab Countries and others, government has a law on the regulation of Pornography and Child Pornography on the Internet".

Mr Razak Opoku said the use of the internet to access and distribute pornography was a major threat to the African youth and government through the Ministry of Communications and Digitalization in collaboration with the Ministry of National Security should come up with a radical regulatory framework aimed at regulating internet pornography in Ghana.

He said there should be some level of restrictions to the access of pornographic materials on the internet, especially among the youth.

He added that scientific studies have shown that many Ghanaian youths suffer from addiction to pornography, masturbation and sexting and this could be attributed to the lack of regulation and control of internet pornography in Ghana.

Mr Razak Opoku said the activities of LGBTQI were fast gaining ground due to easy access to internet pornography by Ghanaians.