Falana urges social media ban for under-16s in Nigeria

Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has called for restrictions on access to social media for children under the age of 16 in Nigeria, citing global concerns about the impact of digital platforms on young people.

Falana made the call yesterday in Lagos while speaking at the maiden edition of the Dare2Debate competition, an initiative aimed at developing leadership, critical thinking and public speaking skills among secondary school students.

He noted that several countries were already taking steps to regulate young people’s access to social media, stressing that Nigeria must also act in the interest of child welfare. According to him, Australia has already barred under-16s from accessing social media, adding that similar policies in countries like the United States and the United Kingdom could influence Nigeria.

“There is an ongoing global debate on young people’s access to social media. One way or the other, it certainly has to be regulated in the interest of our children,” Falana said, describing Nigeria as a country still heavily influenced by former colonial powers.

On crime and insecurity, Falana rejected the notion that Nigerians are inherently criminal, arguing that poverty, unemployment and underemployment were major factors pushing some individuals into crime. He said crime rates in Nigeria remain lower when compared with some developed countries but warned that economic hardship has made criminality more attractive to some youths.

He also spoke on migration and employment, noting that many Nigerians take up jobs abroad that they would consider “below their dignity” at home, often due to unrealistic expectations about opportunities overseas.

Falana further blamed Nigeria’s “distorted educational system” for the poor training of local artisans, saying many technical jobs are now handled by foreign nationals from neighbouring African countries as well as Asia.

Meanwhile, the Dare2Debate competition featured students from C.M.S Grammar School, Bishop Howells Memorial Grammar School and Arester Divine School, all based in Lagos. According to the panel of judges led by Oludolapo Adewole, C.M.S Grammar School and Bishop Howells Memorial Grammar School progressed to the final stage.

At the end of the competition, organised by HACmedia, C.M.S Grammar School emerged winner with 77 points and received a cash prize of N300,000. Bishop Howells Memorial Grammar School came second with 75 points and won N200,000, while Arester Divine School placed third with 70 points and received N100,000.

Speaking earlier, the lead organiser of Dare2Debate, Davies Ikpoyi, said the initiative was designed to help students improve their conversational skills, critical thinking and public speaking, adding that debates are meant to promote knowledge, ideas and meaningful engagement rather than confrontation.