According to a report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), health experts, child rights advocates and civil society organisations have called for stronger laws, improved parental supervision and coordinated action to protect Nigerian children from online abuse, describing the growing threat as a public health emergency.
The stakeholders made the call on Tuesday in Abuja during a Child Online Safety Media and Advocacy Roundtable organised by Gatefield and its partners.
Executive Director of the MAMA Centre, Dr. Chioma Kanu, said child online safety should be treated as both a child rights and public health issue because of its impact on children’s mental health and development.
She explained that children between the ages of zero and seven are particularly vulnerable to harmful online content due to the rapid development of their brains during that stage.
Kanu urged journalists to sustain public awareness through consistent reporting, saying the media has a crucial role in shaping public attitudes and influencing policies on child online safety.
Also speaking, Gatefield’s Lead Campaigns and Communications Strategist, Ms. Christina Akintoye, warned that millions of Nigerian children remain exposed to online abuse because of weak regulations and inadequate safeguards.
She said Nigeria, despite having Africa’s largest internet population, lacks sufficient protections for children using digital platforms.
Citing data from the Nigerian Communications Commission, Akintoye said many Nigerian children had encountered sexually explicit content online, while others had experienced unwanted sexual advances through digital platforms.
She noted that some harmful content involving minors remained online for more than 48 hours before removal, highlighting the need for stronger regulation and greater accountability from technology companies.
Akintoye said Gatefield’s Every Second Counts campaign aims to keep child online safety on the national agenda while mobilising parents, policymakers and the media to strengthen protections for children.
Convener of Chazown by Ella’s Bookclub, Mrs. Emmanuella Iyayi, urged parents to play a more active role in supervising their children’s online activities instead of granting unrestricted access to internet enabled devices.
She said children should receive digital literacy and online safety education before they are allowed to use internet connected devices, describing parental guidance as the most effective safeguard against online harm.
Legal and Programme Officer at the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Ms. Amy Oninyechi Omara, stressed that protecting children online requires collaboration among government, parents, schools, technology companies, civil society organisations and faith based institutions.
Omara said CISLAC would continue advocating the proposed Child Online Access Protection Bill, noting that the legislation would improve transparency, strengthen accountability for technology companies and enhance protections for children.
Training and Development Specialist at the Federal Medical Centre, Jabi, Dr. Nafisa Kabir, also called for the enactment and enforcement of comprehensive child online protection laws while urging schools to integrate digital literacy and online safety into their curricula.
Development consultant Mr. Ojugo Onyelukchukwu Ojay similarly advocated a whole of society approach, urging the Federal Government to enact and enforce robust child online protection laws with clear sanctions for offenders.
The stakeholders called on the National Assembly to expedite the passage of the Child Online Access Protection Bill, saying the proposed legislation would provide a stronger legal framework for tackling online abuse, improve accountability for technology companies and ensure safer digital spaces for Nigerian children.
Leave a comment