'Teens Need to Be Educated on the Danger': Digital Access, Online Risks, and Safety Practices Among Nigerian Adolescents

TL;DR

This study explores Nigerian adolescents' online experiences, risks, and safety practices, highlighting the need for targeted education, parental involvement, and improved safety tools to enhance digital safety in underrepresented contexts.

Contribution

It provides empirical insights into Nigerian adolescents' online risks and safety behaviors, emphasizing culturally relevant interventions and the role of stakeholders in digital safety.

Findings

Most adolescents have moderate online access and encounter risks like inappropriate content and scams.

Blocking and reporting are common safety strategies, but some adolescents do not respond due to limited awareness.

Parents are primary support figures, but monitoring practices vary widely.

Abstract

Adolescents increasingly rely on online technologies to explore their identities, form social connections, and access information and entertainment. However, their growing digital engagement exposes them to significant online risks, particularly in underrepresented contexts like West Africa. This study investigates the online experiences of 409 secondary school adolescents in Nigeria's Federal Capital Territory (FCT), focusing on their access to technology, exposure to risks, coping strategies, key stakeholders influencing their online interactions, and recommendations for improving online safety. Using self-administered surveys, we found that while most adolescents reported moderate access to online technology and connectivity, those who encountered risks frequently reported exposure to inappropriate content and online scams. Blocking and reporting tools were the most commonly used strategies, though some adolescents responded with inaction due to limited resources or awareness. Parents emerged as the primary support network, though monitoring practices and communication varied widely. Guided by Protection Motivation Theory (PMT), our analysis interprets adolescents' online safety behaviors as shaped by both their threat perceptions and their confidence in available coping strategies. A thematic analysis of their recommendations highlights the need for greater awareness and education, parental mediation, enhanced safety tools, stricter age restrictions, improved content moderation, government accountability, and resilience-building initiatives. Our findings underscore the importance of culturally and contextually relevant interventions to empower adolescents in navigating the digital world, with implications for parents, educators, designers, and policymakers.