Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has urged the Nigerian government to regulate access to social media for children under the age of 16, citing growing global concerns about the effects of digital platforms on young people.
Falana made the call on Saturday in Lagos while speaking at the maiden edition of Dare2Debate, a debate competition for secondary school students organised by HACmedia.
According to him, several countries are already taking steps to limit young people’s exposure to social media, stressing that Nigeria should not ignore the global shift toward stronger child protection policies online.
“There is an ongoing debate worldwide regarding access to mobile phones and social media by young people. Some countries have started restricting it,” Falana said. “Australia, for instance, has insisted that children under 16 should not have access to social media. One way or the other, this issue must be regulated in the interest of our children.”
He added that Nigeria often mirrors policy directions taken by more developed countries, particularly the United States and the United Kingdom, and is therefore likely to follow similar regulations once they are fully adopted.
Speaking on crime and social conditions in the country, Falana rejected the notion that Nigerians are naturally inclined toward criminal behaviour, arguing instead that economic hardship plays a major role.
“Nigerians are not criminals. If you compare our crime rate with that of some other countries, you will see that the problem is largely poverty and unemployment, which have been allowed to persist,” he said. “Many people are pushed into crime because of the harsh economic realities.”
The senior lawyer also spoke on unemployment and migration, noting that many Nigerians who travel abroad often end up taking jobs they would ordinarily reject at home.
“Jobs considered infra dignitatem here are readily accepted abroad. People are made to believe that once they leave Nigeria, opportunities are limitless, only to end up doing jobs they never imagined,” he said.
Falana further blamed what he described as a distorted education system for the declining quality of local artisanship, saying many technical jobs in Nigeria are now handled by foreign nationals.
“Because of the way our education system is structured, many artisans are poorly trained. That is why you now find people from neighbouring countries and even Asia handling jobs Nigerians believe are beneath them,” he added.
On his part, the lead organiser of Dare2Debate, Davies Ikpoyi, said the initiative was designed to equip young people with essential skills in critical thinking and public speaking.
“This platform is about training students to think clearly, speak confidently and manage their minds. Debate is not a show of force but a contest of ideas, knowledge and reason,” Ikpoyi said.
Three Lagos-based schools—C.M.S Grammar School, Bishop Howells Memorial Grammar School and Arester Divine School—participated in the competition.
At the end of the event, C.M.S Grammar School emerged overall winner and received a cash prize of ₦300,000, while Bishop Howells Memorial Grammar School and Arester Divine School came second and third with ₦200,000 and ₦100,000 respectively.
