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

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2507.08914v1
• Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2025 15:39:01 GMT
• Title: 'Teens Need to Be Educated on the Danger': Digital Access, Online Risks, and Safety Practices Among Nigerian Adolescents
• Authors: Munachimso B. Oguine, Ozioma C. Oguine, Karla Badillo-Urquiola, Oluwasogo Adekunle Okunade,
• Abstract summary: This study investigates the online experiences of 409 secondary school adolescents in Nigeria's Federal Capital Territory (FCT)<n>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.<n>Parents emerged as the primary support network, though monitoring practices and communication varied widely.
• Score: 0.0
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
• 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.

Related papers

• Towards Resilience and Autonomy-based Approaches for Adolescents Online Safety [7.446834742371107]
  We discuss the paradigm shift that has emerged in the literature to move toward resilient-based and privacy-preserving solutions to promote adolescents' online safety.<n>We highlight the limitations of restrictive mediation strategies, which often induce a trade-off between teens' privacy and online safety.<n>We present an overview of empirical studies that conceptualized and examined resilience-based approaches to promoting the digital well-being of teens.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-04-22T02:23:48Z)
• A Systematic Review of Security Communication Strategies: Guidelines and Open Challenges [47.205801464292485]
  We identify user difficulties including information overload, technical comprehension, and balancing security awareness with comfort.<n>Our findings reveal consistent communication paradoxes: users require technical details for credibility yet struggle with jargon and need risk awareness without experiencing anxiety.<n>This work contributes to more effective security communication practices that enable users to recognize and respond to cybersecurity threats appropriately.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-04-02T20:18:38Z)
• Open Problems in Machine Unlearning for AI Safety [61.43515658834902]
  Machine unlearning -- the ability to selectively forget or suppress specific types of knowledge -- has shown promise for privacy and data removal tasks.<n>In this paper, we identify key limitations that prevent unlearning from serving as a comprehensive solution for AI safety.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-01-09T03:59:10Z)
• How the Internet Facilitates Adverse Childhood Experiences for Youth Who Self-Identify as in Need of Services [1.2564343689544843]
  Youth implicated in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems are considered the most vulnerable Children in Need of Services (CHINS)<n>We identified 1,160 of these at-risk youth who sought support via an online peer support platform.<n>Our study calls for tailored support systems to promote safe online spaces and foster resilience to break the cycle of adversity.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2024-10-21T20:59:11Z)
• Exploring Parent's Needs for Children-Centered AI to Support Preschoolers' Interactive Storytelling and Reading Activities [52.828843153565984]
  AI-based storytelling and reading technologies are becoming increasingly ubiquitous in preschoolers' lives. This paper investigates how they function in practical storytelling and reading scenarios and, how parents, the most critical stakeholders, experience and perceive them. Our findings suggest that even though AI-based storytelling and reading technologies provide more immersive and engaging interaction, they still cannot meet parents' expectations due to a series of interactive and algorithmic challenges.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2024-01-24T20:55:40Z)
• Factuality Challenges in the Era of Large Language Models [113.3282633305118]
  Large Language Models (LLMs) generate false, erroneous, or misleading content. LLMs can be exploited for malicious applications. This poses a significant challenge to society in terms of the potential deception of users.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2023-10-08T14:55:02Z)
• Imagining new futures beyond predictive systems in child welfare: A qualitative study with impacted stakeholders [89.6319385008397]
  We conducted a set of seven design workshops with 35 stakeholders who have been impacted by the child welfare system. We found that participants worried current PRMs perpetuate or exacerbate existing problems in child welfare. Participants suggested new ways to use data and data-driven tools to better support impacted communities.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2022-05-18T13:49:55Z)
• The Impact of Knowledge of the Issue of Identification and Authentication on the Information Security of Adolescents in the Virtual Space [0.0]
  The age limit and frequency of use of the Internet by young generations has been moved back a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The concern for information security of young people is increasingly emphasized. The research was conducted using a questionnaire on a sample of high school students in the Republic of Croatia.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2021-10-31T10:39:04Z)
• Understanding parents' perceptions of children's cybersecurity awareness in Norway [3.590867023672793]
  We conducted a study with 25 parents living in Norway with children aged between 10 to 15. Results include a list of cybersecurity awareness needs for children from a parental perspective, a list of learning resources for children, and a list of challenges for parents to ensure cybersecurity at home. Future research should focus on defining cybersecurity theories and practices that contribute to children's and parents' awareness about cybersecurity risks, needs, and solutions.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2021-08-05T10:42:49Z)
• Towards Determining the Effect of Age and Educational Level on Cyber-Hygiene [0.0]
  Authors of this paper undertook an online pilot study among students and employees of University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The survey seeks to find out the effect of age and level of education on the cyber hygiene knowledge and behaviour of the respondents. Our findings show wide adoption of internet in institution of higher learning, whereas, significant number of the internet users do not have good cyber hygiene knowledge and behaviour.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2021-03-11T11:42:23Z)
• COVI White Paper [67.04578448931741]
  Contact tracing is an essential tool to change the course of the Covid-19 pandemic. We present an overview of the rationale, design, ethical considerations and privacy strategy of COVI,' a Covid-19 public peer-to-peer contact tracing and risk awareness mobile application developed in Canada.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2020-05-18T07:40:49Z)
• Quantifying the Vulnerabilities of the Online Public Square to Adversarial Manipulation Tactics [43.98568073610101]
  We use a social media model to quantify the impacts of several adversarial manipulation tactics on the quality of content. We find that the presence of influential accounts, a hallmark of social media, exacerbates the vulnerabilities of online communities to manipulation. These insights suggest countermeasures that platforms could employ to increase the resilience of social media users to manipulation.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2019-07-13T21:12:08Z)

This list is automatically generated from the titles and abstracts of the papers in this site.

This site does not guarantee the quality of this site (including all information) and is not responsible for any consequences.