FG Pushes For Stricter Social Media Age Limits To Protect Children

FG Pushes For Stricter Social Media Age Limits To Protect Nigerian Children
Minister says enforcement should outweigh debate over regulations.
Stakeholders seek stronger safeguards against growing online threats.

The Federal Government has intensified efforts to introduce stricter age-based regulations for social media use in Nigeria as concerns grow over children’s exposure to harmful online content, cyberbullying, digital addiction and exploitation.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that speaking at a roundtable on the Protection of Children Online in Lagos on Thursday, the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, said the country must move beyond debating the need for safeguards and focus on effective implementation of age restrictions on social media platforms.

According to the minister, the rapidly evolving digital environment requires continuous updates to laws, policies and protective measures to shield children from online risks while allowing them to benefit from technology-driven learning and innovation.

“The debate should focus on implementing age restrictions effectively rather than questioning the need for such safeguards.

“Nigeria can deploy digital identity infrastructure and existing platform verification systems to strengthen enforcement of age-based social media regulations.

“The fact that some people may bypass regulations is not a reason for safeguards not to exist,” Tijani said.

The minister stressed that protecting children online requires collaboration among government agencies, parents, schools, technology companies and other stakeholders.

Supporting the government’s position, findings from a nationwide consultation conducted by the ministry showed that 83.4 per cent of respondents backed some form of social media regulation for children. The survey also revealed that 64.5 per cent favoured setting the minimum age for social media access at 16 or 17 years, above the globally recognised age threshold of 13.

The poll further highlighted growing concerns over children’s online safety, with 93.5 per cent of respondents expressing serious concern about the risks faced by minors on social media platforms.

Exposure to harmful or inappropriate content was identified as the leading threat, followed by digital addiction and online grooming.

Also speaking, the National Commissioner of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission, Dr Vincent Olatunji, warned that children face increasing threats online, including cyberbullying, cyberstalking and mental health challenges.

He maintained that internet access remains important for education and development but must be accompanied by effective safeguards that protect children from harm.

FG Pushes For Stricter Social Media Age Limits To Protect Children

Participants at the roundtable called for stronger digital literacy programmes, improved age-verification systems, greater parental involvement and increased accountability for social media platforms.