Nigeria’s Under-16 Internet Regulation Must Protect Children Without Cutting Them Off From Learning
The Federal Government’s announcement that it plans to regulate internet access for children below the age of 16 has opened an important national conversation about how Nigeria can keep children safe online while ensuring they are not denied the educational and developmental opportunities that digital access provides.
The announcement, made by Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, comes as the Federal Government also prepares to launch a zero-rated access initiative that will provide students with free access to approved educational platforms and digital learning content from October 1, 2026.
While the government’s intention to strengthen online protection for children is welcome, the proposed regulation must go beyond restricting access.
Nigeria’s children need protection from harmful content, cyberattacks, online exploitation, grooming, cyberbullying and other digital risks. But they also need access to information, education, creativity, technology and opportunities to develop the digital skills required to participate meaningfully in the future.
The question, therefore, should not simply be whether children under 16 should have access to the internet.
It should be: how do we create a safer internet that children can use appropriately?
As Nigeria develops the proposed framework, there is an opportunity to build a child online safety system that combines age-appropriate access, parental involvement, digital literacy, stronger platform accountability and effective safeguards.
This is particularly important because children do not experience the internet as a separate space from their everyday lives. Increasingly, the internet is where they learn, communicate, create, discover opportunities and develop skills.
A blanket approach could unintentionally affect children who depend on digital platforms for education, particularly children from underserved communities who already face significant barriers to quality learning.
The Federal Government has not yet released the specific measures that will govern the proposed under-16 regulation, including how age verification will work, what platforms or services will be affected, what forms of access will remain available, and how educational access will be protected.
These details matter.
Any policy designed to protect Nigerian children online should be developed with children, parents, educators, technology companies, child-protection experts, civil society organisations and other relevant stakeholders at the table.
Nigeria should not have to choose between protecting children and preparing them for a digital future.
We can, and must, do both.
The goal should be a safer digital environment where children can learn, explore and participate online without being unnecessarily exposed to harm.
As the Federal Government moves towards announcing the details of the proposed regulation, we encourage policymakers to ensure that the final framework is evidence-based, age-appropriate, inclusive and centred on the best interests of the Nigerian child.
