How Nigerian Junior Secondary School Students Perceive Internet Child Exploitation

Abstract

The internet has altered the way we interact with other people, making the world a global village. Since the explosion of the internet, many aspects of our lives have not only been eased but aided with more harmful consequences. The secrecy of the internet has resulted in its swiftly becoming a breeding ground for illegal activities that continue to grow as internet child exploitation (ICE), a form of child abuse by their peers or adults using the internet. However, the threats children are confronted with are still indefinite. To determine this in Nigeria, a total number of 20 Nigerian children between the age range of 11 and 17 years from five junior secondary schools were interviewed using measures of internet child abuse. The study revealed that elements of internet child exploitation exist such as sexual exploitation, cyberbullying, nudity, and wasting judicious time on chatting and playing video games. These may eventually have harmful consequences on children.