Tanzania, July 22 -- Dar es Salaam. The days when parenting meant knowing where your child was, who they spent time with and when they would return home are rapidly fading.

Today, many of the biggest influences on children's lives exist beyond the family home, hidden behind smartphone screens and social media platforms.

As internet access expands across Tanzania, experts say parents must pay as much attention to their children's digital lives as they do to their physical safety.

Social media has become a place where children learn, socialise and express themselves, but it is also where they can encounter scams, cyberbullying, sexual exploitation, misinformation and harmful online trends.

Official figures presented in Parliament in Jun...