Stakeholders Demand Passage Of Child Online Access Protection Bill

Civil society organisations (CSOs), child rights advocates, educators, students, digital rights experts, National Assembly officials and policy stakeholders have called for the swift passage of the Child Online Access Protection Bill.

The stakeholders described the piece of legislation as a critical step towards addressing the growing scale of online harms affecting Nigerian children.

They made the call during a high-level film screening and policy dialogue held at the National Assembly Library in Abuja.

The event organised by Gatefield, featured a private screening of “Click, Bait, Repeat”, a short documentary that highlights the realities of cyberbullying, online grooming, sexual exploitation and other digital harms affecting children across Nigeria.

The dialogue came amid growing concern over the scale of online risks facing Nigerian children. Recent findings show that nearly nine in 10 Nigerian children have experienced at least one form of online harm, while 89 per cent report exposure to unsolicited sexual content online.

Despite these alarming trends, stakeholders noted that legal and institutional safeguards have struggled to keep pace with Nigeria’s rapidly expanding digital population.

At the event, Gatefield’s growth lead, Abdulrahman Adebayo, said the documentary was intended to move the conversation beyond statistics and centre the experiences of children directly affected by online harms.

“Click, Bait, Repeat takes us beyond the data and into the lived experiences behind it. It reminds us that behind every percentage is a child, a family and a story,” he said.

Data shared during the session underscored the scale of the challenge: nine in ten Nigerian children have experienced online harms, 79 percent report feeling unsafe online, and nearly four in ten adolescents have experienced cyberbullying.

Compounding these risks, Gatefield’s State of Online Harms research found that 31 percent of harmful content reported by Nigerian users was never removed by digital platforms.

Against this backdrop, stakeholders argued that Nigeria’s current legal and regulatory framework has not kept pace with the realities of children’s digital lives, leaving significant gaps in prevention, reporting, accountability, and redress.

Jemimah Inyangudo of TechHer emphasised that children represent one of the largest groups of internet users in Nigeria, yet remain among the least protected.

“The scale of child online harm in Nigeria demands more than awareness, it requires a coordinated policy response. Children are navigating digital spaces every day, but our current systems and safeguards have not kept pace with the risks they face. We need stronger protections, clearer accountability, and mechanisms that put children’s safety at the centre of digital governance,” she said.

Angela Uzoma of Avocats Sans Frontières France highlighted the systemic barriers that prevent many cases of online abuse from being reported or acted upon.

“Many cases of online abuse never reach the appropriate authorities because children and families are unsure where to report, fear stigma, or lack confidence that action will be taken. Strengthening child online safety requires trusted reporting systems and effective pathways for accountability and redress,” she said.

To address these gaps, the dialogue highlighted the need for mandatory platform protections, faster content removal, and stricter limits on unmonitored early access to digital spaces.

The stakeholders noted that while children are often expected to navigate digital risks on their own, platforms currently face limited obligations to proactively safeguard young users.