Wednesday, 3th December; 2025 – The House of Representatives has passed the Child Online Access Protection Bill (HB.244), a landmark legislative effort to create a safe, responsible, and protected digital environment for Nigerian children. Sponsored by Hon. Olumide Babatunde Osoba, the Bill seeks to establish a comprehensive legal framework to shield an estimated 30 million Nigerian minors from escalating online risks, including cyberbullying, grooming, exploitation, and exposure to harmful content. This legislation Targets Online Violence, Mandates Platform Accountability, and Promotes Digital Safety for Nigerian Children
Key Provisions and Objectives of HB.244
The Bill, officially titled “A Bill for an Act to Provide for the Enactment of Child Online Access Protection Bill and Other Issues of Online Violence Against the Nigerian Child and for Related Matters,” sets forth critical measures aligned with global best practices in child online safety:
Mandatory Content Restriction and Removal: Compels Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and digital platforms to take proactive steps to restrict access to, or promptly remove, content that is harmful, violent, exploitative, or illegal, with a specific focus on Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM).
Stricter Penalties for Offenders: Proposes rigorous fines and terms of imprisonment for perpetrators of online crimes against minors, including cyberbullying, online grooming, cyber-extortion, and non-consensual sharing of intimate images.
Corporate offenders face fines of up to ₦10 million.
Individual offenders face fines of up to ₦5 million or imprisonment.
Platform Accountability: Establishes a framework requiring Big Tech platforms and digital operators to adopt stricter safety measures, including:
Robust age-appropriate content filters.
Effective reporting mechanisms for abuse, prioritizing child safety over profit.
Promotion of Digital Literacy: Includes provisions for digital literacy programs aimed at educating children, parents, and educators on safely navigating the online world and recognizing potential threats.
Enforcement Mechanism: Proposes the creation of an E-Commissioner—a dedicated department within the Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy—to serve as a watchdog for the online space. This office will monitor violations and instruct service providers to remove harmful content, with non-compliance attracting fines and possible jail terms.
A Commitment to Child Rights
Advocates and lawmakers consider HB.244 an urgent and necessary intervention, addressing a gap in Nigeria’s current regulatory landscape.
“The internet must be a place that empowers, not endangers, our children. Our bill seeks to mandate service providers to block access to violent or exploitative content, penalise online grooming and cyberbullying, and promote digital literacy for parents and young people.” — Hon. Olumide Babatunde Osoba, Sponsor of the Bill and Chairman, House Committee on Justice.
If passed, Nigeria would become the first African country to establish such a dedicated and comprehensive online safety framework, demonstrating a strong commitment to digital safety and the fundamental rights of its children. The Bill has undergone critical stages, including public hearings with key stakeholders like the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and is moving towards final passage and concurrence from the Senate.
