MTN Nigeria is stepping up its efforts to protect children in the digital environment, announcing new steps to combat online threats such as cyberbullying, harmful content, stalking, and scams.
The company reinforced this commitment yesterday at its first youth-led safety event as part of the Help Children Be Children (HCBC) campaign, its flagship child online safety initiative that promotes good digital habits among teenagers and young people.
The event, held in its Lagos headquarters, featured frank conversations on key issues such as online exploitation and mental health, as well as encouragement of safer online activity. Parents, educators, and advocates also participated in the discussion to enhance the safety movement.
As part of the campaign, MTN collaborated with MTV Base to develop Room of Safety, a 10-episode video series that premiered on July 20, 2025, across social media platforms. Using realistic, youth-driven storytelling, the series strives to increase awareness and provide young people with the tools they need to navigate online threats safely.
A 2024 IPSOS study commissioned by MTN and presented at the event by Marcus Hollington, associate director, South Africa Ipsos Africa Centre for Development Research & Evaluation, reveals that more than 70% of Nigerian children aged 8 to 17 have internet access, exposing them to both opportunities and risks.
“Among 514 surveyed in Lagos, 32% spoke with strangers online, 23% shared personal details, and 6% reported harassment, though only 36% received psychological support,” Marcus revealed.
Ikenna Ikeme, MTN Nigeria’s general manager of regulatory affairs, commented: “We believe every child deserves a safe and protected childhood. Our support for the HCBC event reflects our deep commitment to safeguarding the online experiences and well-being of our children.
“We also strengthen our safeguards so that we can protect everyone particularly the children and young adults by blocking access to sexual abuse materials, supporting law enforcement agencies and also giving the public safe and confidential ground to report harmful content through the Internet Watch Foundation portal https://report.iwf.org.uk/mtn.”
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