The Federal Government has announced plans to regulate internet access for children below the age of 16 as part of measures to protect minors from cyberattacks, harmful digital exposure and unverified online content.
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Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed the plan 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 security agencies would, in the coming days or weeks, announce detailed guidelines governing internet access for underage Nigerians.
“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,” the minister said.
“It is our duty to protect every Nigerian child, more so underage children, from all sorts of cyberattacks and digital exposure.”
He explained that while the Federal Government was expanding access to digital learning, the effort must be accompanied by strong cybersecurity safeguards and content regulation to ensure that children are not exposed indiscriminately to unsafe or unreliable material.
According to him, the introduction of zero-rated educational platforms should not translate into unrestricted access to every website or platform that labels itself educational.
“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 said.
The Zero-Rated Access to Education Platforms initiative is designed to allow learners to access approved academic websites and digital educational resources without paying for the data used in reaching those platforms.
A member of the NCC Board of Commissioners, Ikechukwu Ugwuegede, described the initiative as a major step towards democratising learning and narrowing the digital divide between students in urban and rural communities.
“By providing free connectivity to approved academic sites, we are ensuring that every learner, whether in a bustling city or a quiet rural community, will have equal access to knowledge.
“This is similar to the revolution of free e-books, but on a far greater scale; we are connecting dreams to opportunities and opportunities to reality,” he said.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND, Senator Mohammed Muntari, commended telecommunications operators for using corporate social responsibility initiatives to support education.
Muntari said the zero-rated access programme complemented other Federal Government interventions, including the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, aimed at ensuring that financial limitations do not prevent Nigerian children from accessing education.
“The leadership of the National Assembly appreciates the efforts of the telecommunications industry in ensuring our children are not left behind in acquiring knowledge,” he said.
He added that programmes such as NELFUND and zero-rated internet access were intended to work together to expand opportunities for less-advantaged Nigerians.
A member of the House Committee on Communication, Peter Akpatason, pledged legislative oversight to ensure that telecommunications companies extend connectivity to communities that remain underserved.
“Access to information should not be determined by the ability to pay for data,” Akpatason said, adding that the House of Representatives remained committed to regulatory and legislative frameworks promoting innovation, affordability and consumer protection.
Popular Nigerian artiste and education advocate, Teniola Apata, popularly known as Teni, also urged students to take advantage of the free-data initiative to acquire knowledge and develop technical skills needed for the global economy.
“Giving children access to free data for research might seem small to some, but it goes a very long way toward preparing them to lead tomorrow.
“I encourage all students to sign up, spread the word, and use this opportunity to acquire knowledge and build their future,” she said.
A representative of uLesson Group, Oladipo Olugbemi, similarly said education technology providers were working to align content quality and user experience to ensure that the programme could be effectively scaled for learners across different parts of the country.
The planned regulation of internet access for children under 16 therefore comes alongside the government’s broader push to make digital education more affordable, while introducing safeguards intended to protect minors from harmful or inappropriate online exposure.
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