Nigeria Races to Protect Children from Online Threats with Child Online Safety Bill

ABUJA, Nigeria – Nigeria’s internet boom has brought opportunity, but for children, it has opened a door to danger. Nine out of ten kids face risks online, from predators to harmful content, according to a new report. Lawmakers now promise action. Hon. Olumide Osoba, chairman of the House Committee on Justice, said the National Assembly will push the Child Online Access Protection Bill through in three months. He called it a “national emergency” for digital safety.

Osoba spoke at the Gatefield Child Online Safety Forum in Abuja on Monday. The event, backed by Paradigm Initiative and Luminate, gathered officials, regulators, and activists to tackle rising online threats. The forum launched the Gatefield State of Online Harm in Nigeria report. It surveyed over 500 users and laid bare the scale of the problem. Half of all internet users suffer regular harms. Women make up 58 per cent of targets. One in three reports of bad content goes unaddressed. Platforms like X, formerly Twitter, host 34 per cent of incidents.

Osoba, who sponsored the Child Online Safety Bill Nigeria, drew from painful lessons. “After COVID, the House sat and discussed all that we witnessed,” he said. “We saw how our children were exposed to predators, and the figures show that 90 per cent of our children are victims—which should scare everyone.” The bill would create a framework to guard minors in digital spaces. It demands the fast removal of illegal material. Tech firms and internet providers would face fines for ignoring complaints. The goal is to build accountability into the system.

Khadijah El Usman, a senior programmes officer at Paradigm Initiative, called the crisis a moral call to arms. “This is both an urgent and moral obligation,” she said. Dr. Tony Ojukwu, executive secretary of the National Human Rights Commission, agreed. He said the Child Online Safety Bill Nigeria would set fresh standards for data care and child shields. Ojukwu pressed global platforms to step up. “Stronger accountability from global tech platforms is essential,” he added.

Calls for Literacy and Tougher Rules

Experts at the forum laid out a roadmap. Tech companies should hire local moderators and pay real penalties for inaction. Schools need digital literacy classes to teach children about scams, algorithms, and privacy. A Digital Citizens Charter could spell out online rights and duties. They also urged updates to the Cybercrimes Act and quick passage of the Child Online Safety Bill Nigeria.

Shirley Ewang Olanrewaju, Gatefield’s advocacy lead, blamed loose rules. “The lack of platform accountability continued to create real-world harm,” she said. Farida Adamu, the group’s insights lead, warned of the human cost. “An entire generation is navigating online threats without safeguards,” Adamu said. “Every day we delay, more children face preventable harm.”

Nigeria leads Africa in internet users, but safeguards fall short. The Child Online Safety Bill Nigeria could set a model. Osoba drove the point home. “For every child we fail to protect, a digital predator succeeds,” he said. “We must create a system that empowers us.” As the forum ended, the message rang clear: act now, or pay later.