How can we help children be children in the digital future is the question at the centre of the new campaign ‘Room of Safety,’ a partnership between Paramount Africa and MTN . Vanessa Obioha speaks to Paramount Africa’s Senior Vice President and General Manager, and Lead BET International, Monde Twala on creating online spaces for young Africans through authentic storytelling.
The urgency to protect children from harmful online spaces has never been as critical as today. The statistics are worrisome. Recent research conducted by Ipsos in partnership with MTN across Nigeria, South Sudan, and Zambia reveals alarming trends in online behaviour among children aged 8–17. One in 10 children in Nigeria and South Sudan reported being harassed online, with South Sudan recording the highest rate of bullying at 20 per cent. In Nigeria, 79 per cent of adolescents aged 13–17 spend more than an hour online daily, increasing their exposure to risky behaviour. Between 30 and 40 per cent of teens across the three countries admitted to adding strangers to their messaging apps.
These findings form the backdrop for ‘Room of Safety,’ a campaign launched by MTN Group in collaboration with Paramount Africa to help young people navigate digital risks. The 10-part series, which premiered on July 20, 2025, on MTV Base, features Paramount’s Culture Squad member Craig Nobela alongside a dynamic lineup of African influencers including Yanda Woods, LordKez, Foyin Ongunrombi, Azana, MajorSteez, Melissa Nayimuli, Mawelele and Naledi. Through relatable storytelling and youth-driven content, the series sparks dialogue, raises awareness, and equips young people with tools to report harmful behaviour online.
For Monde Twala, Paramount Africa’s Senior Vice President and General Manager, and Lead BET International, the campaign is part of a much broader mission: using entertainment not just to entertain, but to shift behaviour, spark dialogue, and give young Africans the tools to thrive in today’s world.
Twala joined Paramount Africa in 2016 after nearly two decades in South African broadcasting, including roles at the public broadcaster SABC and commercial channel e.tv. In 2019, he joined the board of the MTV Staying Alive Foundation, supporting youth education series such as MTV Shuga in South Africa and Nigeria. Since then, he has overseen a wide slate of programming at Paramount, from the MTV Africa Music Awards to scripted biopics, reality formats, and BET programmes that celebrate Black excellence.
Known for his inclusive leadership style, guided by the African adage Umuntu nguMuntu ngaBantu (“It’s the people around us who make us who we are”), Twala also holds an Advanced Management Degree from Wits Business School, with a focus on marketing and business management. His mix of creative vision, cultural advocacy, and academic grounding has earned him recognition as a champion of youth development and mentorship across the continent.
Under his leadership, Paramount Africa continues to build on its long tradition of advocacy through entertainment. From Shuga, the lifestyle drama that raised awareness about HIV prevention and reproductive health, to programming that has addressed mental health and gender equality, the network has consistently championed youth-focused causes. With ‘Room of Safety,’ that advocacy expands to one of the most urgent frontiers of youth culture today: the digital space.
“Advanced technology is a fantastic enabler,” Twala told me in a recent interview. “But it also comes with a responsibility to make sure young people can navigate and create a safe digital experience for themselves.”
This concern is at the heart of the partnership with MTN.
“We came together with MTN to focus on how we can enable young people and help children be children in this kind of new digital future.”
For Twala, the dangers of online from cyberbullying to damaging content are too hard to ignore and demand a collective response.
“How do you create more awareness about cyberbullying to protect young ones?” He queried. “Unlike television which is a regulated platform with age restrictions, online doesn’t have such protections. Online requires a deeper dive in terms of making sure that young people are doing some peer-to-peer education and reporting misaligned content,” and that, he said, is what the campaign is driving.
Paramount Africa’s unique contribution lies in its storytelling power.
“Because we are a youth cultural platform that talks to youth and entertainment culture on the continent, storytelling became an important piece,” Twala said. “How do we take research that is aggregated from young people by young people? How do we take that and turn it into content that you know is in a youthful tone, relatable and authentic?”
The result is a series that not only entertains but also educates. Episodes explore topics such as the pressures of instant gratification on social media, while also instilling confidence in young people to navigate digital spaces responsibly.
“‘Room of Safety’ series is entertaining, but it’s also a research-based campaign that is informed by the youth. It’s by Africans for African youths.”
At the core of this partnership with MTN, according to Twala, is to empower young people, particularly young children who are not of age yet, with the right digital tools to report such harmful behaviours, and also collaborate together and share experiences.
“We need to make sure that they are doing that in a safe and responsible way,” he said, while lauding MTN for initiating the project.
“I’m very proud of the partnership with MTN,” Twala added. “They have been proactive, mindful of the markets they operate in, and willing to listen. The Help Children Be Children research was conducted across multiple countries, and it’s the young people who were interviewed, telling us about some of their experiences. It’s a youth-led tool that will help societies show up better, and most importantly, it teaches children not just how to use technology, but how to report harmful content when they encounter it.
“You’re taught how to use a cell phone, you’re taught how to go online, but you’re not taught how to report the negative platforms, etc, but the tools are there. They exist, especially now, in this new AI world. We have to help our markets and especially our young communities to navigate this new tech-knowledge driven space and focus on making sure that they can thrive and not be hurt online.”
The timing of the campaign, he added, could not be more critical.
“We are faced with different realities of the impact of digital and online space and it is not unique to Nigeria. It’s across the continent and the world,” he said. “Africa is still the youngest continent in the world. So, we are a learning continent, and therefore it makes it very important for us to shape a safe digital future and a digital experience for children across the continent.”
The feedback has been encouraging so far.
“The engagement has been great on social platforms and on-air,” Twala said. “I think it’s also about sparking conversations. I’m able to talk to young people or my own children, parents will be able to engage with young people, and our children will be able to engage with their peers. That’s what we want to inspire. We want to inspire a direction where we can have conversations and exchange information that can really create a safe, digital future for all of us, including our children.”
For Twala, the overarching goal is clear: storytelling that shifts behaviour.
“We want to enhance storytelling that is able to shift behaviour, educate young people, help them build the tools and ability to really report harmful content online and address issues in their voice, in their tone, in real, lived experiences. So partly, there’s a reality format in this initiative and partnership with MTN Room of Safety,” he said.
“Our hope is that we will be able to shape behaviour that can really create a digitally safe and knowledgeable experience for all young people, for many, many years to come.”
Beyond ‘Room of Safety,’ Paramount Africa continues to inspire young people through other projects. The upcoming third season of ‘Inside Life: The Hustle Diaries’ on MTV Base chronicles the rise of stars like Cobhams Asuquo, BamBam, Spyro, and Neo Akpofure, showing the grit and determination behind their success stories.
“We all want to know where some of our big stars come from,” Twala said with a smile. “And I think the third season byline for the show, Hustle Diaries, talks about ambition, rootedness, determination and living out your dream. And, of course, it also talks to and showcases some of the best talent from Nigeria.
“No doubt Nigeria is the entertainment mecca of the continent. That’s also inspired us, from a Paramount perspective, to really make sure that we can continue to deliver content that can inspire, that can reflect authentic journeys in an entertaining way,” he shared.
As the conversation wound down, Twala circled back to his core vision.
“Youth perspectives are very important to us. What entertains them, what concerns them, and how we can shape narratives that unlock their potential is the heartbeat of everything we do.”
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