₦airaland Forum

Celestialsword:
Are the white children not using electronics devices and gadgets why is it not affecting their educational pursuit.

The gadgets are not the problems but the value system

QuinModah:
“This Is Why Our Children Are Failing WAEC”

I always say this with my full chest 💯 — no child of mine will get a gadget at an early stage, and no child will ever dictate to me how to raise them. I’m African — blood hot, brain correct — and I’ve seen enough to know where this road leads.

I didn’t come to this decision by accident o. I learnt the hard way. My own teenage sister lives with me. When she first came, I gave her freedom — gave her a phone to feel among. But before I knew it, this girl turned into someone I could barely recognize 😔.

She wouldn’t sleep at night. Instead, she was always online, in secret teenage groups watching adult content, sharing inappropriate pictures of herself to boys. I almost ran mad. I cried. I blamed myself. I took that phone and made a law in my house:
No child under my roof will own a phone until they finish secondary school. Period.

Some people around me think I’m too strict. In fact, they’re now telling me to give my 16-year-old niece a phone.
Phone ke? Even when we tried giving her a small button phone, it still became wahala! The girl doesn’t act her age. Always behaving like a 1-year-old with no sense of responsibility.

But let’s call a spade what it is. Look at the WAEC results that just came out — pure disaster for so many students. Why? Because most of them are more active on TikTok and Telegram than they are in their schoolbooks.
They know how to “soft launch” and snap perfect selfies but can’t spell simple words in English or solve basic math.

Yes, society has changed — smartphones are now used for everything. But at what cost?
The line between usefulness and destruction is very thin for these kids, and sadly, many parents are too tired or too distracted to draw that line.

Until we wake up and take back control, this failure trend will continue.
WAEC will keep reflecting not just academic weakness, but parenting failure. And guess who suffers the most? The children.

Onegai:
I'm not a fan of gadgets but it's not the gadgets causing the mass failure of Nigerian students. Finland, South Korea, America, China and Japan are all gadget-heavy users and the average 15 yr old there is better educated than even a 20 yr old Naija university student (go and verify, we're in deep soup).

Our society is so broken, it's ridiculous.

We have NO morals: parents will literally bribe schools to make sure their kids pass exams;

Our Educational curriculum is so backwards (honestly we should really stop graduating kids from at least 60% of STEM courses);

Private schools are too plentiful and are a BUSINESS (which means kids rarely get failed)

Then add on the distraction of gadgets= recipe for disaster.

The issues in WAEC and JAMB have been growing steadily for at least 2 decades and the brain drain has made it worse (I can't tell you how heartbreaking it was to see some of the best teachers and lecturers I knew leave Nigeria to be replaced by less competent persons).

And it's not going to get better.

So get your kids a smart device and do something even better: sit down with them and use that device for deep learning.

Because your kids aren't learning anything in school.

jaszplus12:
Depends on value system. My children have always had phones from childhood and all they do I'm aware of!
Keep engaging them on things that will build them and pray along with them, your own values will impact on them.
I'm sorry your niece put you in a spot, but taking away the phone indefinitely will create a vacuum she would fill when the time comes and she will do so too quickly.
Gadgets are changing continuously don't let your children be left behind thinking they will catch up suddenly...you can let them have only one to share among themselves...that way no one can have monopoly and engage in silly vices.
Best wishes

QuinModah:
I get your point, but honestly, it’s not just about giving children phones early and monitoring them. The truth is, no parent can fully know what their kids are doing on a phone all the time children are often two steps ahead when it comes to gadgets.

Taking a phone away doesn’t always create a “vacuum”; sometimes it actually gives room for a child to focus on healthier habits, social skills, and values without being glued to screens. Not every child who delays getting a personal phone grows up behind in tech, many catch up quickly once given access, and often use the tools more responsibly.

Also, forcing siblings to share a single phone may only breed resentment, secrecy, and competition among them. It might be healthier to delay personal ownership until each child shows responsibility and maturity.

At the end of the day, technology will always keep evolving. What matters most is timing and balance—ensuring kids are emotionally and mentally ready before giving them access, instead of rushing because of fear they’ll be “left behind.”

jaszplus12:
Thanks for the response...I think it's all good...we pray for our children to be useful and dedicated to good virtues and morals.

Onegai:
I'm not a fan of gadgets but it's not the gadgets causing the mass failure of Nigerian students. Finland, South Korea, America, China and Japan are all gadget-heavy users and the average 15 yr old there is better educated than even a 20 yr old Naija university student (go and verify, we're in deep soup).

Our society is so broken, it's ridiculous.

We have NO morals: parents will literally bribe schools to make sure their kids pass exams;

Our Educational curriculum is so backwards (honestly we should really stop graduating kids from at least 60% of STEM courses);

Private schools are too plentiful and are a BUSINESS (which means kids rarely get failed)

Then add on the distraction of gadgets= recipe for disaster.

The issues in WAEC and JAMB have been growing steadily for at least 2 decades and the brain drain has made it worse (I can't tell you how heartbreaking it was to see some of the best teachers and lecturers I knew leave Nigeria to be replaced by less competent persons).

And it's not going to get better.

So get your kids a smart device and do something even better: sit down with them and use that device for deep learning.

Because your kids aren't learning anything in school.

Onegai:
For me, my kids have a laptop and 2 tablets. They spend the most time on their laptop. I have downloaded Scratch for them there. Plus, because I run a STEM club, it's easy for them to have access to a lot of material (I'm redoing my Science curriculum for the club and adding Math Manipulatives for teaching my students).

Gadgets are necessary in this Tech era we live in, but how you use them is what is important.

If you're going to give your kids gadgets, give them physical Science, Math and Literacy items as well.

Just know this: the Nigerian curriculum is pretty obsolete (public and private schools) and not cohesive. You've got a lot to do by yourself.