Child rights advocates have raised concerns over the growing exposure of Nigerian children to online dangers, warning that about 90 per cent of children in the country face risks such as cyberbullying, exploitation and exposure to harmful content. The advocates spoke on Friday in Abuja during a stakeholders’ roundtable on the proposed Child Online Access Protection and Online Violence Against Nigerian Child Bill, where they urged the National Assembly to expedite action on the legislation.
Urgent Need for Legislation
According to the advocates, the bill seeks to protect children from various forms of online abuse, including cyberbullying, cyber extortion, grooming and other harmful digital activities. Speaking at the event, the Country Director of Lawyers Without Borders, Angela Uzoma, said the issue had become urgent because of the increasing number of children with access to digital devices.
She cited findings showing that nearly 90 per cent of Nigerian children have access to digital devices either at home, in schools or through friends, making them vulnerable to online harms. “Almost all the children in Nigeria, about 90 per cent of them, have access to digital devices, whether at home, in school or through their friends. That access exposes children to a large range of online harms and violence, and the bill seeks to protect them,” she said.
Types of Online Threats
Uzoma noted that children are increasingly becoming targets of cyberbullies, online predators and individuals who exploit digital platforms to perpetrate abuse. “When we talk about online harms that children are exposed to, it ranges from cyberbullying, grooming and exposure to sexual violence and abuse. We have children being groomed, children being threatened online, and predators pretending to be children in order to target other children. We also have sextortion, where children are tricked into exposing intimate parts of their bodies to adults who hide behind fake identities and pretend to be children,” she said.
She called on Nigerians to support the proposed legislation, stressing that child protection should be a collective responsibility. “Every Nigerian, whether you are a biological parent or not, whether you are an aunt, uncle, child or adult, should be interested in this bill and support it. Everyone in Nigeria should join their voices in calling on the Senate to pass this bill,” she added.
Legislative and Societal Roles
Also speaking, the Coordinator of the General Unit in the National Assembly, Christiana Eguma, said the proposed law was aimed at ensuring the safety of children in an increasingly digital world. She said many children now access the internet without adequate supervision from parents or guardians, exposing them to abuse and harmful influences.
Eguma explained that the legislation would also place responsibility on internet platforms to prevent and promptly address content that could endanger children. “It puts accountability on the platforms themselves so that they can take responsibility for removing some of these negative things early enough. It seeks to ensure that from parents to schools and the children themselves, everybody is responsible enough to protect children online. The bill seeks to ensure children are protected from adults and even from their peers who engage in bullying,” she said.
Call for Collective Action
An educator, Oluwasesan Ifegbesan, said protecting children online required a collective effort from parents, schools, government agencies and the wider society. He urged parents and guardians to closely monitor children’s online activities and guide them on the responsible use of the internet and social media.
The advocates referenced a 2018 report by UNICEF, which highlighted that a new child goes online every half second globally, increasing the need for stronger safeguards against online abuse and exploitation. The report also indicated that about 90 per cent of Nigerian children face online risks, including cyberbullying, inappropriate content and exploitation.
