The Federal Government says security agencies will in the coming weeks announce guidelines to regulate internet access for children under the age of 16 to safeguard minors from cyber threats and online exposure
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja during the launch of the Zero-Rated Access to Education Platforms initiative, organised in collaboration with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
Alausa said that while the government was aggressively expanding digital learning infrastructure, establishing strict cybersecurity guardrails for minors was imperative to protect young learners.
”We will be regulating internet access for children below 16 years old, and further announcements on this will be coming from our security staff in the coming days or weeks.
”It is our duty to protect every Nigerian child, more so underage children, from all sorts of cyberattacks and digital exposure,” he said.
The minister stressed that digital inclusion must be paired with strict content regulation to prevent indiscriminate exposure to unverified material.
”Zero-rated access should not mean indiscriminate access to every platform that describes itself as educational.
”The content made available to our children must be accessible, credible, safe, and aligned with our educational objectives and curriculum,” Alausa added.
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