By Ibrahim Sesay
Orange Sierra Leone has, on Friday, May 15, 2026, continued its “For Good Connections” campaign with a sensitization session for pupils of Prince of Wales School aimed at promoting responsible digital use among young people.
The awareness session focused on educating Junior Secondary School (JSS) pupils on cyberbullying, its forms, effects and prevention, as well as excessive screen time, its impact on students and measures that can be taken to reduce it.
Speaking to journalists, Margaret Sia Mondeh, Firm Executive, Orange Foundation Sierra Leone who serves as one of the facilitators, said the initiative seeks to promote a healthy relationship between young people and mobile technology.
“As you know, Orange is a mobile and telecommunication company and since we deal with mobile devices and people we decided there should be a proper and good connection between people and their devices,” she said.
Margaret Sia Mondeh explained that the campaign targets JSS pupils because many of them begin to misuse mobile phones as they transition into secondary school, often leading to excessive screen use and online misconduct.
“Sometimes they use those devices excessively and also engage in some forms of cyberbullying. They think they can say anything online because they see themselves as matured. That’s why we’re creating the awareness,” she added. Margaret Sia Mondeh further disclosed that the campaign is currently targeting eight schools within Freetown, with plans to expand nationwide after assessing its impact.
According to her, pupils of Prince of Wales and St. Joseph’s Convent Secondary School demonstrated a fair understanding of the subject areas during the interactive session.
“We’ve got very great feedback from the pupils. Some of them already know about the forms of cyberbullying but they still go ahead and do exactly what they are not supposed to do,” she noted.
She also revealed that the campaign will climax on June 6 with a football and drama competition among the participating schools, with cash prizes to be awarded to winners.
Meanwhile, some of the pupils described the session as impactful.
Alfred Sesay, a JSS 3 pupil, said the engagement helped him understand the importance of balancing screen time with other activities. “This awareness has really helped us understand that spending too much time on phones and social media can affect our studies and even our health. I have learned that it is important to balance screen time with reading, sports and other activities,” he said.
Samuel Kamara, a JSS 2 pupil, said the program changed his perception of cyberbullying and online behavior. “Before today, many of us did not take cyberbullying seriously. Today, we learned that the internet should be used responsibly. I will share these lessons with my friends and encourage them to use social media in a positive way,” he stated.
The awareness session concluded with an electrifying musical performance by Leonus Di Genius, which entertained pupils and added a joyful climax to the event.
