Tobago Day, formerly called Assembly Day, is observed annually on December 4th to commemorate the passage of the Tobago House of Assembly Act of 1980, Tobago’s heritage, and achievements.
While December 4th marks the official date, the Tobago House of Assembly has been hosting several activities that began on November 27th, including a torch run, triathlon, Tobago Games, Thanksgiving, and Scarborough Heritage Bus Tours.
Among the highlights leading up to Tobago Day 2025 was a spirited display of youth engagement and civic awareness.
On Thursday, Secondary School students took centre stage in a debate on establishing Social Media Units across all Tobago House of Assembly divisions and state-owned companies.
Assuming the role of Chief Secretary, Destiny Weekes lamented that while young people enjoy the use of social media, there is a dark side that can have negative effects. She said no systems are in existence in Tobago to address online issues faced by the youth.
“Schools stressing, parents confused and police only getting involved when it reaches crisis point. A social media unit will change all of that. This unit will give us people trained to handle online threats, real education of cyber safety, faster ways to report issues, support for youth dealing with online bullying, guidance for State companies when communicating with the public. THA protecting us in schools, in communities, on the roads, so why the online world, where we are spending most of our time, have zero structure?”
Adding to the Motion, Leader of Assembly Business Koquice Davidson presented UNICEF research highlighting that Caribbean teenagers spend six to eight hours online daily, concluding that young people are heavily influenced by international content. Therefore, she noted, the social media unit will allow for Tobago’s stories to be told in a structured way.
“This department is not about controlling youth. It is about empowering us, guiding and protecting us. It will monitor harmful content, push educational campaigns, teach digital literacy in schools, help parents understand online risks and, most importantly, create and amplify Tobago’s cultural content so powerful that, as TikTok would say, ‘it will eat and leave no crumbs.’ Imagine folk songs reimagined for TikToks, short films of our legends, clips of goat races, speech bands, calypso, not hiding but trending.”
However, the Minority firmly rejected the Motion. Minority Leader Elisha Grant questioned whether a social media unit was the solution, as he explained there are already systems in place.
“The majority speaks of a lack of resources to protect persons online, but they are clearly misinformed. Had they done their research, they know that the TTPS Cyber Crime Unit, which is the body of police tasked with investigating online offences. We have TATT. This body regulates digital behaviour and telecommunications breaches. We have the Child Protection Unit, and this body deals with exploitation and digital harm of minors. We have guidance counsellors in schools who are specially trained to handle cyberbullying cases, and we have Minority and Division ICT departments which provide digital oversights.”
Minority Assemblyman for Plymouth/Black Rock Terelle Guevara said the Motion was a waste of public funds and duplicated existing structures.
“Instead of spending money to create an entirely new social media unit, we should provide digital safety workshops for current staff, improve guidelines for online communication, expand youth educational programmes on cyberbullying and fraud. We don’t need more structures. We need stronger support for the ones we already have.”
While both sides brought hard-hitting and well-researched points, with a majority of votes, the motion was carried.