Think before you make that post

Kenyans hold a remarkable title as the world’s top users of social media. According to the Digital 2025 Report, we spend an average of four hours daily on platforms like X, Instagram and TikTok. This shows that we have enablers, including electricity, affordable internet and smartphones within reach. It proves we enjoy freedom of speech. From the bustling streets of Nairobi to the quiet villages upcountry, we are connected, vocal and extremely powerful.

But with great power comes great responsibility. Social media is the most incredible tool humanity has ever created. It can lift us up, open doors and change lives. Or, it can trip us and haunt us for years to come. The choice is ours, especially for our youth, who are shaping their futures one post at a time.

Think of social media as a tool, such as a kitchen knife or a motor vehicle. A knife chops vegetables to feed a family, but in careless hands, it cuts deep. A car takes us to work or school, yet misuse turns it into a danger on the road. Tools can maim, maul and destroy when misused, sometimes unintentionally, sometimes with malice.

Social media is no different. It is our modern-day equivalent of the sharpened stones that propelled early humanity forward. Through it, we have drawn global attention to injustices, rallied for change, and made KOX (Kenyans On X) a force that our local politicians, and even world leaders, cannot ignore.

Yet, too often, we let this tool turn into something darker. Online discourse can slide from passionate debate and degrade conversations into insults, bullying and harassment. We have seen it all. A disagreement turns personal, a joke becomes a jab and suddenly, dignity is lost in the furious exchanges. Issue‑based dialogue descends into personal attacks, tribal slurs, gender‑based harassment and threats of violence.

Unintended consequences

Policing millions of posts is neither practical nor desirable. It is not that we lack laws; our police have bigger battles to fight than chasing every anonymous troll. The real issue is us. We hold the power to decide whether this tool builds or destroys our future.

Let’s consider the latest concerns on social media use. The United States visa process now includes deeper social media vetting, checking your posts, your handles, your digital trail, to gauge if you are a risk to its national security. The US State Department has instructed embassies and consulates around the world to pause new student visa appointments as it moves to expand social media screening and vetting of all applicants for student visas.

Other countries are catching on, expanding their checks on your social media footprint, aided by artificial intelligence. World over, immigration agencies often share notes. One careless comment could bar you from entry into a country where you are chasing a life-changing opportunity. As global migration tightens, many nations coordinate to share persona non grata lists, meaning missteps in one jurisdiction can close doors everywhere.

Do not let online outbursts lock those doors before you even knock. To be young today is to inherit boundless opportunity, and also, boundless risk. You may believe that a flippant post or a cheeky meme will vanish with time, or that you will never apply to be a judge, need a US visa, a post‑graduate scholarship in Europe or a leadership role at a multinational headquarters. But who you are at 18 or 28 is not who you will be at 38 or 48. Maturity reshapes perspectives, ambitions evolve and mistakes recede. Yet the internet never forgets.

Imagine a promising graduate denied a regional CEO role because of an inappropriate tweet made during her or his first year at university. Or a young entrepreneur barred from pitching to global investors after past online vitriol against a foreign head of state comes to light. They are the unintended consequences of digital misadventure.

Most powerful tool in human history

Your choices today could limit you and your family’s opportunities tomorrow. That is not fearmongering, it is reality.

However, social media is also a goldmine. It is the most powerful tool in human history, and it is in your hands. With it, you can message a world leader, learn a skill or spark an ethical movement. Why waste it on petty feuds when you could use it to grow, connect and inspire?

My fellow brothers and sisters, this is not about silencing you. It is about empowering you. Use social media to build a legacy you will be proud of, a digital story that opens doors, not slams them shut.

Social media can be our ladder to greatness or a trap we will regret. For our youth, it is more than a pastime. It is a mirror of who you are and who you will become. And trust me, people in the future will judge you viciously because of your online persona. Every post is a brick in the foundation of your future.

So, let us wield this tool with care and purpose. Think before you type. Be the generation that shows the world what Kenya can do when we harness our voice for good. 

Mr Mudavadi is the Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs.