CPN tasks parents and NGOS to emphasize the need to protect children



Aderonke Oyelakin, the Lagos State Coordinator, Child Protection Network (CPN) has tasked parents and NGOs to emphasize the need to protect children and that the effects of violence in movies and video games, full or partial nudity, vulgar scenes, depiction of criminal behavior, and underage drinking have been inconclusively debated over the years.

Oyelakin said that in Lagos on Tuesday on the sidelines of National Broadcasting Commission tagged *Content Inclusiveness in Digital Era'*


She said that in our society today, our children and youth are being exposed to things beyond their capacity and social media is playing a greater role in the life of young people, more than stories and books. This calls for the need to give proper attention to the idea of censoring content.

So, how much should social media be censored and where does the censorship stop? First, we must understand the reason that we should censor social media amongst other movies inappropriate – to protect the minds, the innocence and purity of our children.

Being a child protector, I and my colleagues have come across several innocent children attracted by social media and movies and are tricked into unsafe situations that have lead to kidnappings, cyberbullying, sex predators,. unhealthy relationships and even death.

Additionally,.some images posted or videos online can negatively affect a child.

But we need to understand clearly what is censorship.
Censorship can be defined as the suppression or deletion of any form of speech or other communicative material that is deemed as harmful, offensive, provocative or unfit for public consumption by a censor.



She said that stakeholders have a responsibility to protect the physical and psychological
well-being of its youngest citizens.

Consequently, she concluded that the costs of censorship in the name of
child protection far outweigh any demonstrable benefits.


Are you aware that children who are exposed to television violence and sexual content, more likely to be fearful of the world around them and/or more aggressive towards others?

Critics of media censorship argue that monitoring children’s television viewing is a personal and parental responsibility, and the government and other regulatory bodies cannot assume that kind of responsibility for them. It is the parents’ obligation to stay informed and to nurture their kids with the appropriate behaviors, not by pushing the responsibilities towards a third party.


As for censoring news and current affairs programs on television, critics of censorship believe that similar to adults, children have the right to be informed about what is happening in the world around them.


Regardless of whether a media censorship is in effect, you, the parents, need to be personally involved with monitoring what your child is watching on television, what video games he or she is playing and what websites they are browsing.

CPN Lagos implore everyone to be aware of the content of all the media their child consumes to make an informed decision about what your child are restricted and/or allowed to view.

Censorship helps give children time to mature in a controlled and safe environment.

“Social media websites can enrich children’s lives, but they can also be hazardous to their mental and physical health” (Hellmich). (Social media sites) “can enhance kids’ creativity and help them develop technical skills.


They can also can lead to cyberbullying, depression, and exposure to inappropriate content” (Hellmich).

Even if the internet can help the children of our society, parents, teachers, and principals need to look at all of the risks and decide whether kids should have unlimited access to everything that is on the internet.

Social media sites can be very risky. Parents and other adults need to create rules and regulations to govern and monitor the usage of the internet and the kind of movies played on television.

With these restrictions, cyberbullying, depression, and the misuse of these sites can be prevented.

She said that CPN was an initiative of UNICEF and has expresses her concerns that we live in a world where our children are vulnerable to different kinds of risks and threats on a daily basis.