The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Thursday while addressing students and other stakeholders, noting that although the government supports expanding digital access, children must be protected from inappropriate and potentially harmful online content.
Alausa said the expansion of internet access, particularly for educational purposes, should not translate into unrestricted access to every platform that presents itself as educational.
“Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, as we expand digital access, however, we must remain focused on quality. Zero rating should not mean indiscriminate access to every platform that describes itself as educational,” he said.
“The content made available to our children must be appropriate, credible, safe, and aligned with our educational objectives and our curriculum.”
Giving a preview of the proposed policy, the minister said security officials would provide further details on the planned regulation in the coming days or weeks.
“At this point, I’m just going to give a sneak preview to what will come. That will be announced by the security people in the next coming days or week. It will be regulating internet access to children below 16 years old,” Alausa said.
He explained that the forthcoming measures would outline how the government intends to safeguard children from the risks associated with unrestricted internet access.
“Further announcement on this will be coming from our security staffs and they will roll out how this country will protect the dignity of every child in this country,” he added.
The proposed regulation could affect how Nigerians below 16 access online platforms, particularly as the country continues to expand digital learning and internet connectivity in schools.
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