Session
Organizer 1: Civil Society, African Group
Speaker 1: Mary Uduma, Technical Community, African Group
Speaker 2: Ibukun Odusote, Civil Society, African Group
Speaker 3: Arinola Juliana Akinyemi, Private Sector, African Group
Speaker 4: Torsten Krause, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 5: Chris Uwaje, Private Sector, African Group
Speaker 2: Ibukun Odusote, Civil Society, African Group
Speaker 3: Arinola Juliana Akinyemi, Private Sector, African Group
Speaker 4: Torsten Krause, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 5: Chris Uwaje, Private Sector, African Group
Format
Roundtable
Duration (minutes): 60
Format description: This layout encourages open discussion, allowing participants to engage directly with panellists rather than just listening passively. Given the importance of child online protection, a roundtable fosters meaningful dialogue between policymakers, tech experts and civil society. The format also aligns well with IGF’s multistakeholder approach, as it enables diverse voice including government representatives, industry leaders and advocates to exchange ideas and solutions, allowing seamless integration of both in-person and online participants, ensuring remote attendees can actively contribute to the discussion.
Duration (minutes): 60
Format description: This layout encourages open discussion, allowing participants to engage directly with panellists rather than just listening passively. Given the importance of child online protection, a roundtable fosters meaningful dialogue between policymakers, tech experts and civil society. The format also aligns well with IGF’s multistakeholder approach, as it enables diverse voice including government representatives, industry leaders and advocates to exchange ideas and solutions, allowing seamless integration of both in-person and online participants, ensuring remote attendees can actively contribute to the discussion.
Policy Question(s)
1. How can Nigeria and other African nations balance expanding digital access for children with ensuring their online safety and protection?
2. What role should governments, technology companies and civil society play in developing and implementing policies that safeguard children's rights in digital spaces?
3. What legal and regulatory frameworks are needed in Nigeria to strengthen child online protection while promoting universal digital rights?
What will participants gain from attending this session? 1. A deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities in child online protection within Nigeria and Africa, including insights into policy frameworks, digital rights and industry best practices.
2. Views from government officials, technology companies, civil society leaders and child rights advocates on balancing digital inclusion with online safety.
3. Practical recommendations for implementing child-friendly digital policies, strengthening regulatory frameworks and fostering cross-sector collaboration.
4. Access to guidelines, best practices and community-driven solutions that stakeholders can apply to enhance child safety in digital spaces.
SDGs
Description:
As digital technologies expand across Africa, Nigerian children remain among the most vulnerable online. While increased Internet penetration offers opportunities for education, communication and social inclusion, it also exposes children to cyberbullying, online exploitation and harmful content. This session will examine child online protection as a fundamental digital right in the Nigerian and broader African context, exploring strategies to bridge the digital divide while ensuring a safe and inclusive online environment. This session will bring together policymakers, industry leaders, civil society organizations and educators to discuss policy interventions, industry best practices and community-driven initiatives tailored to Nigeria. The discussion will highlight the role of government, private sector and civil society in creating child-friendly digital policies and infrastructure in Africa. Key Issues to Be Addressed: 1. The intersection of child online protection and digital rights in Nigeria and Africa. 2. Bridging the digital divide: Expanding Internet access without compromising child safety. 3. Nigerian and African legislative frameworks for child online protection. 4. The role of Nigerian and African tech companies in fostering a safer digital ecosystem. 5. Community and civil society-led interventions for child online safety in Nigeria. 6. Emerging Digital threats and Cybersecurity Challenges 7. Digital Rights and Data Privacy for Children 8. Equitable Digital Access and Infrastructure for Nigerian Children 9. Strengthening Nigeria’s Child Online Protection (COP) Framework 10. Strengthening Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration & Policy Implementation for Sustainable Solutions
As digital technologies expand across Africa, Nigerian children remain among the most vulnerable online. While increased Internet penetration offers opportunities for education, communication and social inclusion, it also exposes children to cyberbullying, online exploitation and harmful content. This session will examine child online protection as a fundamental digital right in the Nigerian and broader African context, exploring strategies to bridge the digital divide while ensuring a safe and inclusive online environment. This session will bring together policymakers, industry leaders, civil society organizations and educators to discuss policy interventions, industry best practices and community-driven initiatives tailored to Nigeria. The discussion will highlight the role of government, private sector and civil society in creating child-friendly digital policies and infrastructure in Africa. Key Issues to Be Addressed: 1. The intersection of child online protection and digital rights in Nigeria and Africa. 2. Bridging the digital divide: Expanding Internet access without compromising child safety. 3. Nigerian and African legislative frameworks for child online protection. 4. The role of Nigerian and African tech companies in fostering a safer digital ecosystem. 5. Community and civil society-led interventions for child online safety in Nigeria. 6. Emerging Digital threats and Cybersecurity Challenges 7. Digital Rights and Data Privacy for Children 8. Equitable Digital Access and Infrastructure for Nigerian Children 9. Strengthening Nigeria’s Child Online Protection (COP) Framework 10. Strengthening Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration & Policy Implementation for Sustainable Solutions
Expected Outcomes
• Increased awareness of policy measures and best practices for child online protection in Nigeria.
• Recommendations for Nigerian policymakers, technology companies and civil society on enhancing child digital safety.
• Strengthened collaboration among Nigerian and African stakeholders to implement child-friendly digital policies and programs.
Hybrid Format: • The session will have both an onsite moderator and an online moderator to ensure seamless engagement between physical and virtual participants.
• A dedicated online Q&A channel (via the IGF platform) will allow remote attendees to submit questions in real time, which the online moderator will relay to the panel.
• Polls and live surveys will be used to collect feedback from both onsite and online participants, ensuring their voices shape the discussion.
• The roundtable format will ensure interactive dialogue rather than one-way presentations. Panellists will engage in a facilitated discussion while actively incorporating audience input.
• Real-time captioning and multilingual support will enhance accessibility for diverse participants.
• Slido/Mentimeter – For live polling and interactive Q&A.
• Jamboard/Padlet – For collaborative note-taking and idea-sharing among participants.
• Social Media (Twitter/X, LinkedIn, WhatsApp Groups) – To engage a broader audience and share live updates during the session.