According to a survey conducted by the Federal Ministry of Communication, Innovation, and Digital Economy, more than four out of five Nigerians are in favor of social media regulation for minors.
At a discussion on the protection of children online on Thursday in Lagos, Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, presented the findings of the 2024 survey titled “Proposed Social Media Age Regulation in Nigeria.”
The Nigeria Data Protection Commission and the ministry worked together to organize the discussion.
The extensive public consultation poll gathered the opinions of 585 Nigerians on controlling children’s access to social media platforms, according to Kasim Sodangi, Senior Special Advisor to the Minister, who presented the survey results.
According to him, the study addressed dangers, legal frameworks, enforcement, and future directions.
According to Sodangi, who cited the survey, Australia recently banned children under the age of sixteen from using social media, and the vast majority of Nigerian respondents (83.4%) agreed that children’s usage of social media should be regulated.
The nearly complete representation of Nigerians guarantees that the survey’s findings accurately represent the opinions of people who would be most impacted by any proposed social media age restriction in Nigeria.
According to the minister’s side, “the results of this poll are grounded in the lived experiences and concerns of Nigerian citizens, making the data highly relevant for domestic policy formulation.”
He pointed out that 93.5 percent of Nigerians said they were very concerned about the safety of children under the age of 18 on social media.
Out of the 93.5% of respondents, 405 (69.2%) indicated great concern and 142 (24.3%) expressed significant concern, according to Sodangi.
According to the special adviser, the poll revealed that exposure to dangerous or inappropriate content was the most common online risk for Nigerian children (90.9%), closely followed by digital addiction (83.6%) and online grooming (82.4%).
He said that 74.5% of respondents thought parents and kids were not sufficiently aware of the legal ramifications of cybercrimes, indicating an urgent need for protective regulations. Overwhelming support for a duty-of-care framework was also found in the study, with 97.6% of respondents supporting proactive efforts by platforms to prevent damage.
Speaking, Minister Bosun Tijani stated that in order to address new risks that children face online, regulations, rules, and protections must constantly be adjusted due to the rapidly evolving digital ecosystem.
He claims that even though social media presents chances for education and creativ ity, kids need to be shielded from dangerous content, exploitation, and other online dangers.
“The debate should focus on implementing age restrictions effectively rather than questioning the need for such safeguards,” the minister stated. Nigeria can improve the enforcement of age-based social media laws by implementing digital identification infrastructure and platform verification tools.
“The existence of safeguards is not justified by the possibility that some individuals may circumvent regulations.”
He continued by saying that the government, parents, digital platforms, and other stakeholders needed to work together to protect children online.
Additionally, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, the National Commissioner of the NDPC, issued a warning about the growing hazards that children confront on digital platforms and in online surroundings.
He listed some of the biggest problems that youngsters face when using the internet, including exposure to hazardous content, cyberbullying, cyberstalking, and mental health issues.
According to Olatunji, internet access is still crucial for learning and growth, but it must be balanced with strong security measures that keep kids safe.
He said that parents, schools, communities, government organizations, and operators of digital platforms all have a part to play in ensuring children are secure online.
He believes that established legislative procedures and extensive stakeholder discussions should precede any modifications to age-related rules.
The participants demanded more accountability from digital platforms, better age-verification mechanisms, improved parental assistance, and more robust digital literacy programs.
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