A lecturer at the Christian Service University has raised concerns about the growing use of social media to insult, attack and malign public figures, suggesting that some of those involved may require mental health assessment.

Rev. Boffah Poku Mensah made the comments during a panel discussion on Oyerepa Breakfast Show, where he expressed concern about abusive content directed at political leaders, traditional authorities, religious figures and other prominent personalities.

According to him, the issue goes beyond the social media platforms themselves, arguing that the behaviour of some users could point to underlying mental health concerns.

“What worries me is that the social media we are blaming is just a fragment of the problem. We are all on social media. What would make us propagate unwarranted words about the First Lady or former First Lady? I have identified that there are mental health issues,” he said.

Rev. Boffah also questioned why some politicians would engage social media users to attack their opponents, arguing that the willingness of some individuals to insult chiefs, religious leaders and other public figures should prompt a broader discussion about their wellbeing.

“Why would a politician go in for those people to do that because they know they have mental issues? That is why they are able to insult chiefs, religious leaders,” he stated.

His comments come at a time when President John Dramani Mahama has called for a national stakeholder engagement on hate speech, abusive language and other harmful content on social media and emerging digital platforms.

President Mahama has asked the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) to lead discussions involving media organisations, state institutions, civil society groups, content creators and other stakeholders on how Ghana should respond to harmful online content while protecting freedom of expression.

Speaking to Ghanaians in New York on September 25, President Mahama said the country needed to collectively decide how platforms such as TikTok and other forms of new media should be regulated.

He said he personally did not mind being insulted but questioned whether arrests should be the default response to offensive online commentary, stressing the need for a broader national discussion on the issue.

Rev. Boffah said he supported the President’s call for action but urged policymakers and stakeholders to include mental health considerations in the discussion.

“I support what the President is calling for, but just that in the discussion we should consider the mental issues,” he said.

The planned stakeholder engagement is expected to examine the distinction between legitimate criticism and unlawful or harmful online speech, as well as possible regulatory, educational and non-legislative responses.