E-Business
5 Things to Consider Before Allowing Your Child to Own a Tech Device
The current generation of kids are a smart, precocious bunch. Owing perhaps to their wide-eyed curiosity, innate awareness, learning aptitude, pace of civilization/societal development and of course the influence of technology, these young ones display a greater sense of exposure at much tender ages than older generations.
According to the Research and Development Unit of Yudala, Nigeria’s fastest growing e-commerce company, the technology-mediated world we live in means that the current generation of kids get exposed to technology at a much younger age. Most proud parents waste no time in buying a smartphone or tablet for their young ones at very tender ages.
This is a major development which, in spite of all the benefits it holds in improving the learning abilities and technological awareness of kids, can also expose them to the dangers associated with technology.
Before taking the decision to expose your child to technology, here are five points worth considering.
Is your child ready?
The decision to buy your child a smartphone, tablet, laptop or any other tech gadget is one that requires careful thought.
Is that child mature enough to handle the responsibility of owning and using a smartphone, for instance, that is connected to the internet and the depth of content out there? While there is no right age to allow a child own a tech device, the maturity level and personality of the child matters.
For kids who are naturally reserved, early exposure to technology may provide a shell they can conveniently retreat into, inadvertently alienating parents and other family members. Worse still, there are loads of damaging materials out there on the internet that your child must be protected from.
Most parents or care-givers fail to realize that there is no going back once a child has been exposed to technology, especially through ownership of a smart device. A strong feeling of attachment or fascination is developed by the child for the device.
Coupled with the natural curiosity and inclination to explore inherent in kids, you will be doing more harm than good trying to block access to technology once a child has had a taste of it.
The foregoing shows how huge the entry decision is and why parents must consciously decide whether the time is right for their children.
Set the ground rules
Before you decide to allow your child own a tablet or smartphone, it is essential to lay down certain rules that will guide the use of the device.
This will involve some form of agreement on your expectations and the responsibilities that come with their ownership of the device. In addition to setting out times for usage other than answering and making calls or replying short messages, cyber concerns such as the dangers of meeting strangers online, cyber-bullying and the need for extreme caution when using social media should also be discussed.
Furthermore, conversations around the legal, moral and other damaging implications of inappropriate pictures and text, pornography and nudity must also be had in order to ensure that the child is not mislead online.
Research shows that it is also advisable to draw up a contract that will guide your child’s usage of a tech device. Punishments for irresponsible or wrong usage must also be clearly spelt out and the document signed off by both parties.
Among other things, this contract will grant the parent ownership of the device, specify access for the parent to all passwords and apps on the phone, indicate the hours the phone can be on and off and penalties to be applied if the rules are flouted.
Parental control is a must
One of the first things a parent should do before handing over a smart device to a child is to set up parental control apps.
There are several apps you can download and install on your child’s tablet, laptop or smartphone. These apps allow you keep track of everything your child is doing on the device while others provide instant alerts when inappropriate or high-risk words are used in texts or on social media.
With parental control apps installed, there is greater control over the materials and contents your kid is exposed to on the often-notorious web, thereby giving you peace of mind.
It is equally important to point out that today’s kids are precocious and quite dexterous with the use of tech devices, hence you must take steps to ensure that you are not being outsmarted by your child. Parental controls can be disabled at specific times by a naughty child who knows where to tweak these settings.
Hidden file directories can be used to surreptitiously save inappropriate pictures, videos and other potentially damaging contents. As a result, you must ensure all bases are covered in this regard before you relax in the knowledge that your child is safe online.
Availability of local content
With the influx of foreign technology and the overwhelming abundance of technological devices and gadgets from other climes in the market, our children often miss out on an opportunity to get exposed, from an early age, to the rich local culture and content that make up our indigenous identity as a nation.
The majority of devices produced by foreign Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) hardly provide for local content and instead may expose your kid to cultural materials ill-suited or at dissonance with our local realities.
While much of the argument for preferring foreign tech gadgets hinges on quality, it is important to consider the need to have useful, culturally-sensitive materials in entry-level devices for kids such as children tablets and pads, etc.
A number of world-class local technology companies such as Zinox Technologies Ltd., among others, often design children tabs pre-loaded with games and educative contents, some of them in the major local languages. These go a long way to imbue a sense of cultural identity and awareness in the users from a tender age.
Build responsibility through gadget use
Allowing your child own and use a smart device means you are handing them a huge responsibility. In other words, you are giving them an element of freedom which must not be abused.
As aptly stated by former US President, Ronald Reagan: “With freedom comes responsibility, a responsibility that can only be met by the individual.”
Before taking the decision to allow your child own a tech gadget, you must be convinced that this privilege can be used to build more responsibility in the kid concerned.
This could come in the form of convincing the child to set aside a small portion of his/her allowance to offset the cost of data plan for the device.
Furthermore, the child must be made to embrace a culture of using the device in a constructive, less addictive manner through having set times for usage, unplugging at agreed times and constantly exploring ways of increasing learning and productivity through the use of the device.
National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has said thet more than 136 million Nigerians and legal residents have been enrolled in the National Identity Database (NIDB).
In a statement on Tuesday, Kayode Adegoke, head of corporate communications, NIMC, said Abisoye Coker-Odusote, chief executive officer (CEO) of the commission, announced the milestone during a courtesy visit to the ministry of budget and economic planning.
In April 2025, NIMC said over 117.36 million Nigerians had been enrolled as of February 28, 2025.
The visit was part of the commission’s ongoing stakeholder engagements with ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) on the implementation of the NIMC Act 2026.
Presenting the new Act, Coker-Odusote said the legislation repeals and replaces the 2007 NIMC Act, modernising Nigeria’s digital identity ecosystem by positioning the national identification number (NIN) as the country’s foundational identity under the “one person, one identity” policy.
She said the law also establishes NIMC as the root certificate authority for the national digital infrastructure and introduces stronger data protection and cybersecurity measures, as well as digital credentials.
“The Federal Government remains committed to enrolling and issuing NINs to all Nigerians and legal residents within the shortest possible time,” Coker-Odusote said.
She added that NIMC is ready to collaborate with the ministry of budget and economic planning to leverage the NIN for economic planning and national development initiatives.
Speaking during the visit, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, the minister of budget and economic planning, reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to the implementation of the NIMC Act 2026.
Bagudu described the legislation as “a transformative milestone” that would strengthen Nigeria’s digital identity ecosystem and accelerate national planning and development.
He commended the NIMC director-general and the commission’s leadership for their efforts in securing the passage of the legislation, noting that it provides “a solid legal foundation for a trusted, secure, and inclusive national identity management system”.
The minister, however, said the true measure of the Act’s success would lie in its implementation and the benefits it delivers to Nigerians.
“The true measure of the Act’s success will lie in its effective implementation and the tangible benefits delivered to citizens,” he said.
Bagudu also called for stronger collaboration across the federal, state and local governments to build public confidence in the national identity system and eliminate the duplication of identity databases across government institutions.
He said the NIN should serve as Nigeria’s single, universally accepted identity standard, supporting efficient service delivery and good governance.
On June 26, President Bola Tinubu signed the NIMC Act 2026 into law, repealing the commission’s 2007 establishing Act.
At the time, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, minister of interior, said the legislation would strengthen Nigeria’s legal framework for digital identity management, cybersecurity and secure digital authentication, while reinforcing the NIN as the country’s foundational identity credential under the “one person, one identity” principle.
Plateau State Public Complaints Commission (PCC), an agency of the state established to investigate complaints of abuse of office, administrative injustice and other forms of official misconduct is allegedly collecting personal information from members of the public through its website with no privacy policy.
According to investigation by Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), PCC is falling short of a key transparency requirement under Nigeria’s data protection laws.
FIJ found on Tuesday that PCC collects personal information from members of the public through its website despite providing no privacy policy explaining how that information is collected, processed, stored or protected.
The commission serves as the state’s ombudsman, receiving complaints free of charge against public institutions and private organisations on issues including wrongful dismissal, victimisation and administrative negligence.
Yet, while its online complaint portal requests personal information such as names, phone numbers, email addresses, subject lines and complaint details, visitors are given no privacy notice explaining what becomes of that information after it is submitted.
The omission means visitors are not told why their information is being collected, how long it will be retained, the legal basis for processing it or the rights available to them as data subjects.
WHAT IS THE POSITION OF THE LAW?
The guidelines issued by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) are explicit: every government website is required to have a privacy policy.
Section 10.4 (i, ii) of the NITDA guidelines mandates all government websites to exercise diligence when collecting personal details or information about visitors on their websites.
The requirement is intended to ensure transparency and accountability in the handling of personal information, allowing visitors to understand why their data is collected, how it will be used and the safeguards in place to protect it.
Similarly, the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) 2023 requires data controllers to provide privacy notices to individuals before, or at the point of, collecting their personal information.
Such notices are expected to disclose, among other things, the purpose for collecting the data, the legal basis for processing it, the period for which it will be retained and the rights available to data subjects.
Section 27 of the NDPA states:
(1) Before a data controller collects personal data directly from a data subject, the data controller shall inform the data subject of the – (a) identity, residence or place of business of, and means of communication with the data controller and its representatives, where necessary;
(b) specific lawful basis of processing under section 25(1) or 30(1) of this Act, and the purposes of the processing for which the personal data are intended;
(c) recipients or categories of recipients of the personal data, if any;
(d) existence of the rights of the data subject under Part VI;
(e) retention period for the personal data;
(f) right to lodge a complaint with the Commission in accordance with section 46 (1) of this Act; and
(g) existence of automated decision-making, including profiling, the significance and envisaged consequences of such processing for the data subject, and the right to object to and challenge such processing.
Without a privacy policy, visitors have no way of knowing the commission’s data-handling practices or the safeguards, if any, in place to protect the personal information they submit through the website.
At press time, the Plateau State Public Complaints Commission’s website had no privacy policy.
Federal government has directed key digital regulators to suspend the implementation of new rules affecting internet platforms and online intermediaries while it develops a unified national regulatory framework.
Dr Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy
The directive was issued on Tuesday by Dr Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, after chairing a strategic meeting with the leadership of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC).
The minister in a statement, said that the rapid growth of the digital economy has created areas where the responsibilities of the three regulators increasingly overlap, particularly in artificial intelligence, online safety, and data protection.
He said that a coordinated approach is needed to provide regulatory clarity, protect investor confidence, and support innovation.
Dr Tijani noted that as part of the directive, the agencies will temporarily halt the implementation of recently introduced guidelines in these overlapping areas.
However, the Minister said that they will continue to carry out their statutory responsibilities within their respective legal mandates.
Dr Tijani said that a Joint Technical Coordination Committee will now be established to work with industry players, academics, and civil society on a single, coherent regulatory framework.
The minister added that the move is designed to improve coordination across government, create a more predictable business environment, and strengthen Nigeria’s position as a leading destination for digital investment in Africa.
Court Declares ARCON’s N60Bn Fine against Facebook Nigeria Illegal
NIN Enrollment Hits over 136m as New ID Law Takes Effect
NRC, Ponzi Scheme Collapses Resulting Loss of Billions of Naira
Plateau PCC Collects Nigerians’ Data without Privacy Policy – FIJ
FG Suspends New Internet Regulations to Prevent Overlapping Rules
NASENI Moves to Digitize CCB’s 5m Assets Declaration and Operations
Mobile Internet Gender Gap Widest in Africa – GSMA
Nigeria Launches FreeTV Nationwide
CANAL+ Partners Samsung to Pre-Load DStv Stream on New Samsung TVs In Nigeria, Other African Countries
CredibleVoteNG Opens Free Access to all Polling Units in Nigeria after INEC Demanded N1.Bn for Register
E-Financial3 days agoTokenization, Blockchain Technology will Transform Financial Institutions – IMF
General News3 days agoNIS Deploys Advanced Surveillance Masts, other Critical Infrastructure to Boost Border Security
General News2 days agoIHS Nigeria, FCT-HSES Concludes Clean Cooking Energy Campaign “Project Breathe Clean Air” in Abuja
Broadcasting3 days agoObi, NDC Presidential Candidate Faces N50Bn Defamation Claim over Alleged Podcast Remark
E-Business3 days agoWeebly Websites to Shut Down for Nigeria, 66 Other Countries from September
E-Financial3 days agoFG Denies N8 Trillion ‘Shadow Budget’, Says IMF Quoted out of Context
Telecom3 days agoNo Plans for Fresh Tariff Hike – MTN
News3 days agoWorld Bank Sounds Alarm: Low Revenue, Not Debt, Is Nigeria’s Biggest Fiscal Threat