Lawmakers and Advocates Rally for Stronger Child Online Protection Legislation
Approximately 68.9 million Nigerians-half of the nation’s 137.8 million active internet users-are regularly exposed to various online threats such as cyberbullying, identity theft, scams, child sexual exploitation, and other digital abuses, according to a recent study spotlighting the escalating online safety challenges in Africa’s largest digital economy.
The comprehensive report titled State of Online Harms 2025, unveiled by Gatefield, a public strategy and advocacy group, during a Child Online Safety Forum held in Abuja in partnership with Paradigm Initiative, sheds light on the spectrum of online dangers. These include gender-based harassment, sexual abuse via digital platforms, misinformation, hate speech, incitement, and unsolicited explicit content.
Findings reveal that the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) is responsible for 34% of reported online harms, making it the leading source of such incidents. WhatsApp is identified as a hotspot for the spread of false information, while Facebook struggles with a vast volume of harmful content. Alarmingly, 31% of harmful material reported remains unremoved from these platforms.
The study also highlights fake news as the predominant digital menace, with women constituting 58% of those targeted by online abuse.
During the presentation, Shirley Ewang, Advocacy Lead at Gatefield, emphasized significant gaps in current policies and regulations. She pointed out that existing legislation often fails to explicitly address digital threats and, in some cases, is misapplied to curb free expression. Furthermore, she criticized the lack of accountability among major technology companies and noted that content moderation efforts are frequently ineffective and culturally insensitive.
To address these issues, the report advocates for tech companies to develop localized content moderation teams and calls for enhanced digital literacy initiatives across Nigeria. It urges the government to enact a comprehensive online safety law that specifically targets digital harms without infringing on legitimate free speech.
At the forum, stakeholders underscored the urgent need to safeguard children in digital environments. Olumide Osoba, chairman of the Committee on Justice and sponsor of the Child Online Access Protection Bill, pledged swift legislative action to protect Nigerian youth from growing online dangers.
Osoba acknowledged the internet’s invaluable role in education, innovation, and social interaction but warned that it also exposes children to cyberbullying, grooming, identity theft, exploitation, and harmful content that jeopardize their well-being and mental health.
The proposed bill aims to require internet service providers to block access to violent or exploitative material, impose penalties on individuals and entities involved in cyberbullying, grooming, or sharing intimate images of minors, and promote digital literacy and online safety education for parents, educators, and young people alike.
Additionally, the legislation plans to establish efficient mechanisms for reporting and addressing online abuse promptly.
“This initiative transcends legislation; it is about fostering a culture of digital responsibility,” Osoba stated. “It demands collaboration from government sectors, private enterprises, civil society, educational institutions, and families to protect our children. The cost of inaction is too high-ranging from trauma and exploitation to loss of innocence and, in severe cases, lives shattered. Our mission is to build a digital environment that empowers, educates, and safeguards rather than endangers and exploits.”
Tony Ojukwu, Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission, represented by Ngozi Okorie, Director for Women and Children, encouraged Nigerians to report incidents of online abuse and cyber threats through the commission’s automated reporting system available on its official website, www.nhrc.gov.ng.
He also highlighted the availability of a toll-free hotline, 6472, where individuals can confidentially and anonymously report cases of online child abuse, cyberbullying, and grooming.