Knust Peer Counsellors (KPC) Capacity building workshop Obuasi campus2026

Combatting the Digital Mental Health Crisis

On 7th March 2026, Ghana Internet Safety Foundation (GISF) hosted a powerful workshop at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, equipping peer counselors to tackle rising cybertrauma among students. The gathering arrived at a critical moment: the WHO estimates that 1 in 7 adolescents globally experiences a mental health disorder, and emerging research increasingly links this burden to digital harm from cyberbullying and sextortion to AImediated manipulation and compulsive online behavior.

The workshop opened with grounding remarks from Christabell Jnr Sekyere, who framed the day’s urgency around a sobering reality, today’s university students are among the most digitally exposed, yet among the least equipped to recognize or name what they are experiencing.

A distinguished panel of speakers brought both clinical depth and field experience to the conversation. Dr. Samuel Tinagyei,  Prof. Tim McGuinness from (SCARS Institute™ – Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams™ Inc. – Nonprofit), Detective Bright Peter Kwaku Boateng, Dr. Gabriel Ofori Appiah – DTh,MTh,DDiv and Gloria Gyamfua addressed the neurological and psychological dimensions of digital mental health distress.

This structured panel discussion placed peer counselors at the center, inviting them to surface the real-world cybertrauma presentations they encounter from students re-experiencing digital abuse through intrusive memories, to those exhibiting online disinhibition syndrome, where the anonymity of screens strips normal social boundaries and escalates harmful behavior.

The KPC Drama Team brought the data to life, staging a skit that dramatized how a single damaging online incident a post, an image, a thread can spiral into lasting reputational harm and psychological injury. This skit served as a visceral reminder that digital footprints are permanent, while the trauma they generate is real.

The workshop closed with reflections on digital citizenship, trauma-informed peer support, and the collective architecture of a safer campus ecosystem. The message was unambiguous: cybertrauma is not a personal failing it is a public health issue, and its prevention requires shared institutional responsibility.

Attendees left knowing how to recognize crisis signals in a peer’s digital behavior, how to respond without re-traumatizing, and when to escalate to professional mental health support.

Swipe through to see highlights from the workshop moments of learning, collaboration, and engagement.

Let’s keep the conversation going: what steps is your campus taking to promote a safer digital environment?

hashtag#GISFOnlineSafety hashtag#DigitalSafety hashtag#OnlineSafety