Chief Executive Officer of the National Youth Authority (NYA), Osman Abdulai Ayariga, has urged young people to use social media responsibly to promote positive change and contribute to national development rather than spread harmful content or incite violence.
Mr Ayariga said the growing influence of social media had given individuals unprecedented access to large audiences, making it important for users to consider the impact of what they publish online.
Speaking on Day Two of the 2026 National Youth Conference at the KNUST Great Hall in Kumasi on Wednesday, August 12, he noted that social media users could reach millions of people from the comfort of their homes, depending on their following and the quality of their content.
“Today social media has become a very powerful tool where, in the comfort of your room, you can speak to over 10 million people, depending on your followers and the quality of your content,” he said.
Mr Ayariga urged young people to harness the power of digital platforms to educate, inspire and drive positive change instead of using them to spread content that could harm individuals or society.
“Are you using that positively to impact change and to impact society? I believe the answer is yes. And to those of us who are not using it positively, we use this opportunity to call on you to live responsibly,” he said.
He also called on young people to uphold patriotism and Ghanaian values in both their online and offline conduct, stressing that responsible digital citizenship was essential to building a better society.
“Let us live in a very patriotic manner and let us live to core values, knowing that this is our nation and this is our world and this is our time,” he added.
