Some mothers have cautioned parents against giving children unrestricted access to smartphones and the internet, stressing the need to instill moral values and promote responsible behaviour.
In separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos, they warned that poor monitoring of children’s online activities could have serious consequences.
Mrs. Olubukola Aladeusi, a teacher, said children under 16 should not own smartphones.
“Phones can be used for assignments, research and educational purposes, but only under close supervision,” she said.
“Parents should know all passwords, install monitoring software, block inappropriate apps and ensure only educational apps are allowed.”
She advised parents to set clear guidelines, regularly check installed applications, and limit phone access during school days.
Similarly, Ms. Bolanle Yusuf urged parents to base phone use on maturity, not trends or peer pressure.
“I don’t see the need for a secondary school student to own a smartphone,” she said.
“Any phone given to a teenager must be monitored. If I don’t know the password, the phone will be confiscated. Rules must be enforced with consequences.”
Yusuf added that enabling parental controls would help prevent children from downloading certain apps or accessing unsafe websites.
A Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) survey reinforces these concerns. The research found that 93% of Nigerian children aged 11–16 face online risks, with most accessing the internet unsupervised on mobile phones. Alarmingly, 45% of children aged 4–10 also own phones and go online.
The study of over 7,000 respondents revealed that the biggest risks identified by children were unwanted sexual advances (97%) and exposure to sexual images (89%). Cyberbullying, however, was considered a lesser threat, with only 30% rating it as a major concern.
The NCC urged telecom operators to classify online content by age appropriateness, while advising parents and schools to enforce safeguards. It also recommended that schools provide digital literacy education for children and guidance materials for parents.
“A child’s excessive late-night use of online services may be a warning sign,” the report added.
