Nigeria Considers Age Restrictions For Internet Use To Protect Children — Minister

He noted that while the internet offers “significant opportunities for learning, creativity, and communication, it also exposes children to risks including cyberbullying, harmful content, online exploitation, misuse of personal data, and emerging challenges linked to artificial intelligence tools.”

Nigeria is considering implementing age restrictions for internet usage as part of broader efforts to ‘protect children online’, the Minister of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, has revealed.

He noted that while the internet offers “significant opportunities for learning, creativity, and communication, it also exposes children to risks including cyberbullying, harmful content, online exploitation, misuse of personal data, and emerging challenges linked to artificial intelligence tools.”

He further declared that the ministry “is evaluating multiple policy options, including age verification systems, platform accountability measures, and enhanced regulatory oversight.”

While harping on plans to ensure public engagement, he stressed that “public engagement is essential to ensure any framework adopted reflects national priorities, respects children’s rights, and responds to the realities of Nigeria’s digital landscape.”

In the post shared via X on Tuesday, Tijani urged all stakeholders to participate in shaping the proposed policies.

“We encourage parents, educators, young people, digital professionals, and all stakeholders to share their perspectives on this critical issue,” he said.

“Your input will contribute to shaping evidence-based policies aimed at creating a safer digital environment for children in Nigeria.”

In August 2025, SaharaReporters reported that the Nigerian government had closed down 13.5 million social media accounts for alleged offensive content and violations of the code of practice.

This affected users of social media platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and X, formerly known as Twitter.

Tech giants Microsoft, Google, Meta, TikTok and X took the action based on the code of practice “issued jointly by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).”

This was disclosed in a statement by Hadiza Umar, Director of Corporate Communications and Media Relations at NITDA.

The statement by Hajiya Hadiza Umar further noted that the government said a total of 58,909,112 offensive contents were removed from various platforms.

“We recorded 58,909,112 content takedown, 420,439 removed and re-uploaded content following appeal by users,” she said.

“There were 13,597,057 closed and deactivated accounts.”

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“The compliance reports provide valuable insights into the platforms’ efforts to address user safety concerns in line with the Code of Practice and the platforms’ community guidelines,” she added.