On March 4, 2026, a jury in the United States of America ordered Meta to pay $375 million to New Mexico after a six-week trial for prioritising profit over child online safety, harming children’s mental health and exposing them to sexual exploitation via the internet. Across the world, countries are prioritising child online safety by enforcing age restrictions to prevent children from creating social media accounts. Australia set the precedent in December 2025, with Brazil, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, and Malaysia following suit by Q1 2026.
Globally, 10-14% of children and adolescents risk getting cyberbullied on the internet today. In 2025, the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) confirmed 311,610 reports of child online sexual abuse. According to UNICEF, young people spend more time online than ever before, with children being introduced to connected devices at very young ages. This means they are far more susceptible to dangerous online experiences. As countries worldwide step up to prioritise child online safety and hold host platforms accountable, Nigeria must do the same to ensure a safe digital environment for young people.
How Safe Is the Internet?
Currently, 6 billion people—74% of humanity—depend on the internet for healthcare, education, work, finance, and government services. Countries such as Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Denmark, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates have reached 100% internet penetration. In 2025, Nigeria recorded a 48.8% internet penetration rate, connecting 140 million people to the web. The internet has become an essential part of modern life, driving global economic growth. Despite its growing necessity, users face daily online risks including cyberbullying, identity theft, and abuse. Children are particularly vulnerable, frequently encountering or experiencing inappropriate content, online predators, and sexual exploitation.
Children make up nearly half of Nigeria’s population, accounting for 105 million of its over 200 million people. In today’s digital economy, Nigerian children go online to learn, socialise and play. A survey conducted by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) revealed that 85% of respondents aged 11 to 16 use the internet daily to browse and connect on social media. The findings showed that 56% operate without any parental restrictions on their internet use. While internet access unlocks vital opportunities for education and socialising, it also exposes millions of children to severe digital risks. Given the size of Nigeria’s younger generation, prioritising online safety matters.
89% of children have been exposed to harmful sexual content online, with girls affected disproportionately. Overall, 79% of Nigerian children report feeling unsafe online, and 40% of adolescents have experienced cyberbullying. The NCC’s survey revealed that 50% of respondents have engaged in inappropriate conversations at least once online. Another survey by MTN revealed that 36% of children who experienced negative online events receive no psychosocial support. This means that many Nigerian children who experience harm online do not get the necessary support they need to navigate the traumatic experiences.
In Nigeria, 80% of harmful content involving children remains online for over 48 hours and is sometimes never removed, even after being flagged and reported. Notably, 34% of harmful content in the country is directly linked to X. With Nigeria's growing population and internet adoption, children risk facing daily digital harm unless proper safety measures are implemented quickly. Like other nations, Nigeria must hold host platforms accountable. Unchecked exposure to cyberbullying, peer-to-peer harassment, sexual exploitation and grooming, and exposure to harmful and violent content severely damages children’s psychological development, leading to emotional distress, school avoidance, and long-term trauma.
These harmful online content and interactions compromise a child’s emotional and psychological well-being, often manifesting as anxiety, stress, depression, eating disorders, or substance abuse. In severe cases, particularly involving cyberbullying, young people become suicidal and self-harm. The Children and Screens organisation reports that increased consumption of harmful online content and interactions is directly linked with high self-harm and suicidal behaviours among youths and children today. To protect them, the government must prioritise creating safe digital spaces, closing gaps in existing legislation, and enforcing strict regulations to foster a safe online environment.
How Has Nigeria Protected Its Children?
Various pieces of legislation exist in Nigeria that attempt to protect children in different capacities. Nigeria’s 2003 Child Rights Act recognises that every child, born or unborn, has the right to survival, development, dignity, and privacy. However, it lacks specific provisions for digital risks such as cyberbullying, online grooming, sexual exploitation, and data privacy, leaving children unprotected from online harm. Similarly, the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act of 2015 addresses child pornography, penalising offenders with jail time or fines up to ₦20 million. Yet, it does not target broader digital harms such as online grooming, cyberbullying, and sexual exploitation. Both Acts fall short of protecting Nigerian children from various online harms due to fragmented implementation, inadequate funding for enforcement agencies, and poorly trained agents.
In 2008, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) launched the Child Online Protection initiative to prioritise global online safety for children. As the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated digital adoption among children, the ITU updated these guidelines in 2020. It published them in English, Arabic, Spanish, Russian, and French to ensure children’s rights were protected online. Building on this framework, the Nigerian government developed the Nigerian Child Online Protection Policy and Strategy (NCOPPS). The policy introduced localised guidelines in Pidgin, Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa to educate teachers and children under the age of nine about online risks and emergency responses.
While this policy raised awareness among children and educators on the risks and possible responses to digital harm, it failed to address root causes or establish binding protective measures for children. Simply raising awareness without holding perpetrators, tools, and hosting platforms accountable does not solve the underlying problem. Nigerian children already know they face online threats; what they need are enforceable safeguards that actively shield them from harmful content and predators. In a country where 90% of children face various forms of digital risks daily, the government must move beyond public awareness initiatives toward enforceable protection frameworks. This legislative gap was addressed in 2025 with the Child Online Protection Bill (HB.244).
The bill was passed by the House of Representatives in December 2025 and is under consideration in the Senate. It is targeted at violent and harmful content, mandates platform accountability, and prioritises digital safety for young Nigerians. The proposed law compels Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and digital platforms to proactively filter, restrict, and remove harmful, violent, exploitative, or illegal content, with a focus on Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). It also introduces strict penalties for offenders, including corporate fines up to ₦10 million and individual fines of ₦5 million or life imprisonment.
Additionally, it mandates age-appropriate content filters, robust reporting mechanisms, and digital literacy programs for children and caretakers. To enforce these standards, it proposes creating a dedicated E-Commissioner department within the Ministry of Communications, Innovations and Digital Economy to monitor compliance with the legislation. Ultimately, this legislation directly tackles the core issue rather than merely raising awareness, firmly prioritising child safety over profit. Passing and implementing this bill will position Nigeria as a leader in African child online protection, making it the first nation on the continent to adopt a dedicated, comprehensive digital safety framework.
The government must now prioritise signing the bill into law and ensuring proper implementation and enforcement to safeguard children. In doing so, Nigeria can draw valuable lessons from Australia’s child online protection measures. The current HB.244 framework already mirrors elements of Australia’s framework such as establishing an e-commissioner and imposing heavy penalties for offenders; however, Nigeria can look even further to strengthen its approach.
What Can Nigeria Learn From Australia’s Child Online Protection Measures?
Australia leads the world in child online protection policy. In 2015, the country established the Enhancing Online Safety Act, creating the Children’s eSafety Commissioner, an independent regulator dedicated to digital safety. In 2017, the eSafety Commissioner’s mandate extended beyond children to all Australians facing online harms, and in 2021, the Online Safety Act was enacted, giving the Commissioner broader powers to keep pace with evolving technology and online behaviours. By December 2025, the Australian government went further, enacting strict social media age restrictions that prevent children under 16 from creating or maintaining accounts on age-restricted platforms. Australia remains at the global forefront of digital safety for children by enforcing proactive safeguards and demanding corporate accountability.
The eSafety Commissioner focuses on protection, prevention, and systemic change to ensure Australians stay protected, while supporting victims of online abuse. A core component of the legislation is the Basic Online Safety Expectation (BOSE) framework, which sets benchmarks for online service providers to proactively protect children from abusive conduct and harmful content. It also establishes dedicated complaint channels for cyberbullying material and non-consensual distribution of intimate images. Furthermore, the government mandates enforceable industry standards and codes to systematically detect and remove harmful material online.
Nigeria can draw valuable lessons from Australia’s regulatory approach. While Nigeria’s proposed Child Online Protection Bill is a step in the right direction, particularly with the introduction of the E-Commissioner and strict penalties for offenders, the country should adopt Australia’s model by shifting the primary burden off children and onto the platforms that facilitate these harms. Under Australia’s law, children under 16 face no penalties for bypassing age limits and creating accounts on age-restricted platforms; instead, the full legal onus rests on the platform to block underage access. Age-restricted platforms are mandated to take reasonable measures to prevent children from creating these accounts, and defaulting corporations face fines up to AUD $54.6 million. Nigeria can restrict young children from high-risk platforms and ensure tech companies take reasonable measures to keep children safe.
Policy Recommendations for the Government and Caretakers
The Nigerian Government must expedite the enactment of the Child Online Protection Bill (HB.244) to establish a firm digital safety framework. Furthermore, the country should adopt elements of Australia’s policy frameworks, specifically the age restrictions barring children under 16 from using social media platforms. Enforcing these limits will shield them from harmful content and online predators. Currently, X accounts for 34% of harmful content in Nigeria, yet no framework exists to enforce content filtering and distribution for children. The government must introduce strong enforcement mechanisms that compel host platforms to take proactive steps to restrict access to dangerous material. Imposing strict penalties will ensure tech companies prioritise child safety over corporate profits in Nigeria.
The safety of Nigeria’s children online cannot rely solely on government policies and legislative frameworks. Parents, teachers and guardians carry direct responsibility for ensuring the safety of children daily. Caretakers must ensure that children with connected devices are actively supervised. NCC’s report shows that 56% of young users operate without restrictions or supervision on their internet use; millions of children currently access harmful or explicit content without adult knowledge. Caretakers must implement content restrictions, establish healthy screen time boundaries, and monitor digital activities to minimise exposure to online risk.
Additionally, caretakers must provide adequate care and support when children experience cyberbullying, grooming, or are exposed to violence. This MTN survey revealed that 36% of children who suffered negative online experiences received no psychosocial support. Caretakers must foster open, supportive environments to help affected children navigate these traumatic events. Children must be shielded from potential harm and offered immediate emotional and psychological support whenever incidents occur.
Children are the future of the nation, and they must be protected from digital risks that threaten their personal growth and well-being. Nigeria needs to strengthen its regulatory frameworks to safeguard its children. By adopting Australia’s age-restriction model, the government can hold hosting platforms accountable for the harms they facilitate. At the same time, caretakers must play an active role in supervising and supporting children in their internet use. As more children spend time online to learn and connect, their exposure to digital threats increases exponentially. Nations around the world are enforcing protective measures and demanding platform accountability with robust digital identity records to ensure child safety online. Nigeria must do the same by implementing strong safeguards to guarantee online safety for every child and ensuring nationwide digital identity records for every individual.
