A new survey by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy has found strong public support for regulating children’s access to social media, signalling potential policy changes that could affect digital platforms operating in Nigeria. The poll revealed that 83.4 per cent of respondents favour some form of age-based regulation, with nearly two-thirds supporting strict restrictions.
The findings highlight growing expectations for technology companies to strengthen online safety measures, age verification systems, and content moderation practices. The survey also showed that 97.6 per cent of respondents support a duty-of-care framework that would require platforms to take proactive steps to protect young users from harmful content and online risks.
Communications Minister Bosun Tijani said Nigeria may leverage its digital identity infrastructure and existing verification technologies to enforce future regulations. For social media companies and digital service providers, the proposed safeguards could create new compliance requirements while opening opportunities for investment in digital safety, identity verification, and child protection technologies.
