Abuja – Parents and guardians in the Federal Capital Territory have expressed concern over the challenges of raising children in today’s digital age.
They made their feelings known in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja as the country joined the world to mark Children’s Day.
The parents and guardians said that although the ICT-driven age had made socio-economic life easier and more comfortable, it had its share of challenges on children’s upbringing.
According to Mrs Felicia Udoma, a mother and school teacher, children today are too exposed and informed at very tender age, making it more difficult to guide them aright.
She said “it is difficult to imagine what a child of five years knows today; because of the information they get from different digital platforms such as television and websites, they can be uncontrollable sometimes.
“Even at that innocent age, they are bombarded with different information and ideas which they readily imbibe.
“So, trying to teach them age-long morals and family values sometimes become difficult.
“Where are the popular moonlight tales of those days? They have been forgotten because no child wants that now; in our days, some of the moral lessons we learnt from such tales guided us even until adulthood.’’
Udoma also said that although she had seen the social and educational benefits of the digital age, there were lots of data in the digital platforms that could mislead children.
“The challenge is in ensuring that children make the most of the positive opportunities that the digital platforms offer while maintaining healthy moral lifestyle growing up,’’ she said.
On his part, Mr Mathew Obademi, a civil servant, said digital technology constituted a “distraction’’ in raising children nowadays.
He said “the problem is how to mitigate the shortcomings of technology and help our kids find balance because distraction is a real issue where children and technology are concerned.
“Let’s face it, if this issue is challenging for adults, imagine how difficult it is for children.
“They are distracted by chatting on social media and this is obviously affecting their concentration in studies.
“Often times as a parent, even if you are asleep in the night, your children will still be awake chatting with people you don’t even know.
“Children are very difficult to monitor in this day and age and this has led many children to stray into what many parents cannot imagine.’’
Dr Emmanuel Bamiro, a Human Rights Activist, said the digital age provided platform through which western civilisation infiltrated African culture and this had also affected the moral development of the African child.
He said “our young children nowadays want to do everything like the Europeans or Americans because of constant exposure to their lifestyle on television and different websites.
“Things like respect for elders, humility, hard work and decent dressing that were part of our culture are now being eroded.
“Some of our children now get involved in all sorts of youthful vices because these are things they see the so-called civilised’ people doing,’’ he lamented.
Bamiro urged stakeholders to remain steadfast in their efforts to guide children aright and to instil in them the best of traditional African family and moral values.
NAN reports that Children’s Day is recognised on various days in many places around the world to honour children globally.
It was first proclaimed by the World Conference for the Well-being of Children in 1925 and then established universally in 1954 to protect an “appropriate’’ day.
It was recommended that the Day be observed with activities devoted to promoting the ideals and objectives of the Charter and the welfare of the children of the world.
The Assembly suggested to governments that the Day be observed on the date and in the way which each considers appropriate.
In Nigeria, Children’s Day is celebrated annually on May 27. (NAN)