The Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy (FMCIDE) survey has revealed that the majority of Nigerians are in favour of steps to be taken to curb children’s access to social media platforms.

The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, announced the results of the poll titled “Proposed Social Media Age Regulation in Nigeria”, at an online child protection roundtable in Lagos on Thursday. 4 out of every 5 Nigerians endorse some form of regulation of social media to protect children in the digital environment.

The event was the brainchild of the ministry, in collaboration with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC).

Kasim Sodangi, Minister’s Senior Special Adviser, presented the survey results and stated that the survey conducted across the country has been able to bring to the fore the views of 585 participants on the matters related to children’s access to social media.

The survey focused on threats associated with the Internet, the regulatory landscape, enforcement, and the policy agenda, he said. The results show a general acceptance of child protection measures among the population, with 80% of Nigerians saying that it is important to have age-based regulations and more robust measures to protect children online.

Quoting the survey document, Sodangi said that Australia recently implemented a total ban on social media for children under 16, and a clear majority (83.4 per cent) of the respondents of the poll in Nigeria also supported regulation of children’s social media use.

Of these, 64.8 per cent wanted a complete ban on children using social media, he said.

18.6 per cent favoured lawmakers’ restrictions but didn’t want it to be the same age threshold.

The survey found that the majority of respondents (64.5 per cent) supported the age limit for social media use at 16 years or 17 years, which is above the common global minimum age of 13.

“Of the 583 respondents who responded to the question, 98.6 per cent described themselves as Nigerian while only 1.4 per cent described themselves as Non-Nigerian.”

“Near total representation of Nigerians assures that the findings of the survey align with the views of the relevant stakeholders in Nigeria that will most directly benefit or suffer from any proposed age limit regulation on social media platforms in the country.”

The minister’s side had said, “the results of the poll were based on real feelings and issues confronting Nigerians, which makes the data very relevant for policy formulation in the country.”

He pointed out that a huge percentage (93.5 per cent) voiced great or extreme concern over the safety of children under 18 years on social media platforms in Nigeria.

Of the 93.5 per cent of respondents, 405 expressed extreme concern, and 142 respondents were highly concerned, Sodangi said.

The most common online dangers witnessed for Nigerian children were exposure to harmful or inappropriate content (90.9%), closely trailed by digital addiction (83.6%) and online grooming (82.4%), the special adviser said.

The survey indicated clearly that there is a need for protective regulation, he said, noting that 74.5 per cent claimed that children and parents were not well aware of the legal implications of cyber offences.

The survey also found that 97.6 per cent agreed that platforms have a responsibility to take proactive steps to prevent harm.

The Minister, Bosun Tijani, said, “the digital environment was constantly changing, and there was a need to make the laws, policies and safeguards flexible to meet new emerging threats to children online.”

He said, “social media provides opportunities for learning and innovation, but children must be safeguarded from the negative consequences of harmful content and exploitation and other digital risks.”

The discussion should not be about whether age restrictions should be put in place, but how they should be put in place.

Nigeria can strengthen regulations on social media platforms by leveraging its existing platform verification systems and digital identity infrastructure.

That it is not necessary for people to circumvent rules doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

He noted that online child protection could only be achieved through a combination of efforts from government, parents, digital platforms and other stakeholders.

Furthermore, the NDPC National Commissioner, Dr Vincent Olatunji, cautioned that the dangers that children are facing on digital platforms and online environments are growing.

He singled out some of the primary dangers faced by children online, including cyberbullying, cyberstalking, exposure to harmful content, and mental health issues.

Olatunji said while internet access is a vital tool for education and development, it should be balanced with appropriate measures that would keep children safe from harm.

Child online safety is a responsibility of the whole community, which includes government, parents, schools, communities and digital platform operators, he said.

Any adjustments to age-related laws should be made after wide consultation with stakeholders and through the formal process of legislation, he added.

The participants urged for better digital literacy programmes, age verification mechanisms, a rise in parental awareness and accountability of digital platforms.