- Agency Report
Parents in the Federal Capital Territory are divided over social media access for children under 16, amid growing concerns over its impact on their safety and mental health.
Some parents who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) advocated an outright social media ban for under-16s, while others favoured stricter controls.
“I think the government should find a way to restrict social media access for minors rather than ban it completely.
“It is important we restrict their access to it because it is stealing their focus,” said Mrs Phoebe Sabo, a resident of Kubwa.
She recommended imposing a daily limit of two hours across platforms to reduce excessive social media use by children.
“The government can mandate these social media platforms to put measures in place to limit the time children spend on their platforms.
“It can be done in a way that makes the platforms responsible for age verification,” she added.
Philemon Ogar, a resident of Gwarinpa, called for a total ban, arguing that there were too many harmful and addictive features on social media.
“If it were up to me, they should ban it outrightly because it is designed to addict young people and that is not good,” he stated.
Bitrus Jonathan, a civil servant, said he would support a total ban because of the obscene content children are exposed to on social media.
On his part, Emeka Obiano, who resides in Lokogoma, said a ban would be counterproductive because social media has educational and social benefits.
“I do not support a ban because children need digital skills and social media can be useful when properly supervised,” he said.
Tabitha Godswill, a mother of three, said she bars her teenage children from using social media between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.
“I do not allow them to use social media at night because I have noticed that it affects their sleep and concentration,” she noted.
Another resident, Safiyanu Mustapha, urged the government to pass legislation requiring platforms to link the accounts of users aged under 16 to those of their parents.
“Linking a minor’s account to that of their parent will go a long way in protecting children from harmful social media content.
“This is because when the accounts are linked, parents are able to keep a closer eye on what content their children are exposed to,” he added.
Mustapha added that restricting access to a platform’s full features could be another way to protect children.
An educationist, Dr Olubukola Dosunmu, said she would back efforts to protect children from the risks associated with social media but cautioned against a blanket ban on all platforms for under-16s.
Dosunmu advocated regulated access through age verification, parental controls, activity monitoring, and platform accountability.
She noted that some young people gain admission into tertiary institutions at 15 and might require access to social media for educational and communication purposes.
“It would be unrealistic to expect such children, who are already living in a tertiary institution environment and interacting with adults, to be completely cut off from social media,” she stressed.
The educationist also stressed the need to combine restrictions with digital literacy to teach young people responsible use of technology.
“For me, the question is not simply: Should minors be banned from social media?
“The more important question is: How do we create an environment in which young people can benefit from technology while being adequately protected from its risks?” she added.
In spite of the divergent views on whether social media should be banned or restricted, the parents agreed that measures were needed to protect children from cyberbullying, harmful content, scams, and exploitation online.
They called on social media companies and the government to do more to protect children and teenagers.
NAN reports that mounting concerns around online bullying and mental health risks have seen more countries around the world move to regulate social media access for minors.
NAN also reports that Australia, Turkey, France, the UAE, Malaysia, China, and Indonesia are among the nations that have passed laws to ban or heavily restrict social media access for children.
It remains to be seen whether Nigeria will join the growing list of countries blocking or restricting children from platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, as calls mount for government action. NAN