FG to start restricting internet access for children under the age of 16 to protect minors online

• FG plans to regulate internet access for children below 16 years to protect minors online.

• Education Minister Tunji Alausa said further details on the policy will be announced by security authorities.

• The government said digital learning access must come with protection from unsafe online exposure.

• FG’s plan comes alongside a programme to provide free access to approved educational platforms. 

The Federal Government has announced plans to regulate internet access for children below the age of 16 as part of efforts to protect minors from cyber threats and harmful online exposure.

The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this during the launch of the Zero-Rated Access to Education Platforms and Content Initiative in Abuja, an initiative aimed at improving students’ access to digital learning resources.

Alausa said the government was expanding digital learning opportunities but would also introduce measures to ensure that children are protected while using the internet.

“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. 

He explained that the move was necessary because increased access to digital platforms must come with stronger protections for young users.

“It is our duty to protect every Nigerian child, more so underage children, from all sorts of cyberattacks and digital exposure,” Alausa said.

The minister said the government was concerned about children’s exposure to unsafe online content and stressed that digital education must be accompanied by proper safeguards.

He added that access to educational content must not mean unrestricted exposure to every platform claiming to provide learning materials.

“Zero-rated access should not mean indiscriminate access to every platform that describes itself as educational,” Alausa said.

According to him, educational materials made available to children must be “accessible, credible, safe, and aligned with our educational objectives and curriculum.” 

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The planned regulation comes alongside the government’s digital education initiative, which seeks to remove data costs for students accessing approved educational platforms.

Through the zero-rated access programme, students will be able to access approved academic platforms without paying data charges, with the government working with relevant stakeholders to improve digital learning opportunities across the country. 

Ikechukwu Ugwuegede, a member of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Board of Commissioners, described the zero-rated access initiative as a way of improving access to knowledge for students in both urban and rural areas.

He said providing free connectivity to approved academic sites would help ensure that learners have equal opportunities regardless of their location. 

The Federal Government has not yet announced the specific measures that will be used to regulate internet access for children under 16, including whether it will involve age verification, parental controls or restrictions on certain platforms. However, the minister said further details would be provided by security authorities in the coming weeks.