Social Media

By Muhammad Sabiu

Raliya Kashim, a senior staff member of the Bauchi State-owned Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic, has been suspended by the institution’s management for supporting All Progressive Congress (APC) presidential candidate Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

Maimako Baraya, a spokesman for the polytechnic, signed the letter announcing the suspension.

The main opposition, the Peoples’s Democratic Party (PDP), is in charge of Bauchi State.

Kashim works as the polytechnic’s deputy general manager of consulting services.

She was aware of the state’s public service law prohibiting civil servants from participating in party politics, according to Mr Baraya’s letter.

Baraya was quoted to have said in the letter, “The employee recently posted videos containing campaign materials of the presidential and the governorship candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which is a clear violation of the code of ethics for public servants.”

“We wish to assure the general public that there would be no sacred cow, and it will never be intimidated by the activities of political jobbers, fifth columnists and enemies of the state.”

By Uzair Adam Imam 

Cyberbullying against women is one of the lingering issues women face across social media spaces over time.

The menacing issue, however, has now escalated to become a global problem affecting women emotionally and chasing them away from online spaces.

The Daily Reality interviewed some women about the hazard. They recounted that the kind of messages they received from men were disgusting. 

The women decried that most of these disgusting messages often demand nude pictures or videos and propose love, irrespective of one’s marital status. 

This issue is most common on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, among other social media platforms. 

Zahra Madaki, one of the women interviewed, complained that social media is never an exciting place for women to go as cyberbullying exacerbates daily.

She stated, “Social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are very annoying nowadays. That’s why I decided to stop using them.

“Everyone is after love affairs. So, anyone will keep proposing for love as they see you online. It’s so annoying,” Madaki complained. 

On request for sex, pornography

According to Aisha Jibril, not her real name, women are victims of all naughty things on social media platforms today. 

She complained that some men request sex, and nude pictures or videos, as you begin to chat with them. The development, she said, distresses many women.

She stated, “there was a time someone on Facebook asked me if I ever watched pornography. I was shocked because, at that time, I didn’t know the meaning of the word. 

“I had to ask my elder sister what the meaning of the word was. Before I could respond to his earlier message, this man sent me a porn movie. 

“I shivered with fear that my phone nearly fell on the floor. I was terrified. I had never before that time had such an experience. I hardly slept that night,” Aisha said. 

Another source, Khadijat Muhammad Bah, also decried the menace, blaming men for being irresponsible in their relations with girls.

Bah said, “we ladies are seeing and reading all kinds of rubbish. Some men out there send nude pictures and always request nude photos.

“Some would insult and curse because you refuse to give them your contact. Some of them just want sex. 

“One day, I posted my picture on my story, and one guy said, ‘wow, those lips are for me’. And that was one reason that always stopped me from putting my picture on my story,” she lamented. 

According to a source who preferred not to be named, her sister once met someone on Facebook. Their relationship started as a friendship before the guy finally asked for sex, which later led to their breakup.

She said, “the guy kept pleading with her to come to his apartment. But she refused. We were surprised at how shameless this guy was.”

Someone keeps on disturbing me – Housewife

A housewife who spoke to The Daily Reality complained that someone kept disturbing her on social media.

The woman said she told the guy to stop chatting with her because she was married, but the guy turned a blind eye. 

She said, “This man started adding me to some irresponsible dating groups on WhatsApp. But, I thank God that through the help of my brother, we solved the issue and blocked the son of bitch afterwards.”

Another housewife complained that some men that chatted her up used to send her some porn photos, but she deleted them instantly.

She added, “these guys chat and comment on our posts anyhow. They tend to forget about our marital status. They forget that our spouses and relatives also see our online activity and would be sad to see such naughty and irresponsible comments under our posts. 

Cyberbullying: An unfortunate reality in dear need of mitigation

Dr Rukayya Aliyu, a senior lecturer at Bayero University, Kano, urged the technology firms that build these sites to act and make online spaces safe for women. 

Aliyu described the menace of cyberbullying as an “unfortunate incidence” in dire need of mitigation.

She stated, “Cyberbullying is an unfortunate incidence, but unfortunately, it is challenging to overcome because it happens on social media platforms, which are free and uncensored. 

“However, it can be managed to some extent with measures from the sites themselves, which can only be minimal.  The reality is regulation by the government might not be effective considering the lapses in regulating traditional media, to which the government has better control and access. 

Women ought to be responsible and mindful of their online activity 

Dr Rukayya also urged women to be mindful of what they post on social media platforms to avoid insults and indecent comments. 

She said, “on my take as a woman, it’s displeasing, but then fellow women should understand that most abuses come as reactions to our post and engagement with the platforms. Therefore, we should be responsible in our dealings and always be conscious that whatever goes on on any internet-connected platform is no longer personal. People have a right to their opinions. 

“If we don’t want to be abused or bullied, we ought to be responsible and mindful of our digital or cyber identities. However, we shouldn’t rule out that no matter how ‘decent’ or responsible our social engagements are, there are people who will still castigate, blackmail, abuse and bully us. 

“So before engaging, we ought to be conscious of the implications and be ready to surmount them through confidence and steadfastness in what we do,” Dr Rukayya added.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

An investigation by the United Kingdom media regulatory agency, Ofcom, has shown that women are more prone to online attacks than men. 

According to the study, women are wearier of their online presence and prone to discriminatory, hateful and trolling content. They also feel less able to have a voice and share opinions online than their male counterpart. 

Ofcom then calls for technology firms that build sites and apps used by millions of people in the UK to act and make online space safer for women and girls.

Also, according to the study, women from minority ethnic backgrounds are more likely to be affected by their painful online experiences. 

“The message from women who go online is loud and clear. They are less confident about their personal online safety, and feel the negative effects of harmful content like trolling more deeply.

“We urge tech companies to take women’s online safety concerns seriously and place people’s safety at the heart of their services. That includes listening to feedback from users when they design their services and the algorithms that serve up content,” says Dame Melanie Dawes, Ofcom’s Chief Executive.

By Muhammad Umar

This is the beginning of my participation in politics to the fullest, especially on social media. I am gradually learning one or two things from both the recorded victories and failures in some instances. I believe it’s unarguably a fact that, in it (politics), you either be on the winning or losing sides.

In times of political victory, you become so excited as if the happiness will never end. Likewise, failure makes you feel uncomfortable or like nothing is enjoyable to you in the entire world. You become frustrated. Some can even get out of their senses and do something regrettable without awareness.

Thus, some lessons I have so far learned are: 

1. Be careful of what you say, write and post on social media because it might one day come back and haunt you. Make sure whatever you write doesn’t involve insulting/harsh words and terms that can downgrade your integrity in the eyes of your followers and friends in struggle. 

2. Learn to be patient in whatever situation you find yourself in. Sometimes you might be provoked by the commentary of some people (your opponents). Be conscious of your wordings while responding to them in times like that. Though it’s not any comment worth your attention, you can neglect some of them to allow peace to reign. 

3. Choose whom to follow and associate with while participating in political activities. This could include your political mentors, guardians and other friends in struggle. Because sometimes, you could meet somebody who can help you, i.e. someone who can be a reason for you to become somebody in life. But if you choose the wrong person, they can be a disaster for you and your political carrier.

Please, be politically wise and active in all the activities that could bring changes to your (our) societies.

Regards!

Muhammad Umar wrote via muhammadumardanmasani@gmail.com.

By Uzair Adam Imam 

The police in Ogun State have arrested a 25-year-old man, Ebenezer Adeshina, for raping and intimidating a 16-year-old Facebook friend.

Adeshina allegedly invited the victim to his house, where he had intoxicated and raped her.

After having raped the girl, Adeshina also took the victim’s nude pictures and started threatening to make them public if the girl refused to give him the sum of N50,000.

The girl confided in the police that she met the guy on Facebook last year, and since then, they have been chatting with each other. 

She said because her phone got spoilt, the suspect called her with a promise to give her N30,000 for the phone’s repair.

However, no sooner had the girl arrived at his house than the suspect offered her a drugged drink which she took and became unconscious, after which the rape followed. 

The police spokesman in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said Monday that the suspect was arrested following a report by the victim at Owode Egbado Division.

The statement read in part: “After having sex with her in the state of unconsciousness, the suspect took her nude pictures and started threatening to upload them on social media if she didn’t pay him the sum of N50,000.”

By Aminu Mohammed

In the last few weeks, I have keenly observed discussions about bestie, comrade and recently altercation over interfaith dialogue by our youths on various Social media platforms, particularly Facebook. The debates seem amusing, even though the one on interfaith has generated more altercation between some Islamic scholars and their followers, leading to personal abuse. I am not against people using social media to crack jokes and have fun, but it will show a lack of seriousness when people waste time on meaningless arguments.

I shudder in disbelief, wondering if something is wrong with our youth. I still recall that just a few weeks ago, a Kaduna-bound train was attacked, with many people killed while scores are still in captivity. Yet, we have seemingly forgotten about them. Instead, we dissipate energy on trivial issues. Have we done enough by putting pressure on the government to rescue our brothers and sisters in captivity?

What about using social media to pressure our governments in the region to evacuate Almajiris off the streets and end such child abuse. What about encouraging our brothers to exhibit tolerance towards other sects rather than altercations?

We have many issues at hand, and we can use social media to compel the government to do our bidding. Still, we are more comfortable arguing over trivial matters and abusing those who do not believe in our ideology. Our Islamic scholars seem not to see the urgent need through their sermons to pressure the government to tackle poverty and Almajiri syndrome in the North.

Social media is a gold mine that has provided many opportunities for personal development and skill acquisition for career advancement. But are we utilising the massive opportunities in social media to improve our lives? Are we learning new skills every day to change our narrative and move to the next level? These are questions that we should be asking ourselves.

Many people worldwide are utilising the vast opportunities made available by social media to enhance their lives, acquire new knowledge and boost their income. I still recall a post made by Dr Muhsin Ibrahim on his Facebook page, lamenting how many graduates cannot use basic email to send letters or apply for jobs. One can acquire this knowledge by spending a few hours on YouTube, but our youth will rather spend hours on Facebook attacking one another over frivolities. Frankly, obtaining mere certificates is not enough in the current era. Practical skill is what differentiates between graduate A and graduate B.

Living in Germany in the last few years has exposed me to the notion that a certificate is not enough but practical skills that can help one deliver on the job. I have seen people finish graduate programmes here and struggle to get a job until they learn practical digital skills online.

In the last few months, I have observed that some people got jobs after learning digital skills for six months or more such as web development, app development, digital marking, and programming, among others. This is despite the fact that they completed their degree at the university here – in Germany. The reality is that companies are only interested in knowing if you have the practical skills to deliver on the job and not a simple certificate.

It is pertinent to note that some forward-thinking youths in the Southern part of Nigeria work remotely for international companies due to the acquisition of digital skills. Thanks to their skill, they live in Nigeria and still earn money in foreign currency.

I have decided to devote much time this year to acquiring digital skills for personal development and suggest that to whoever is interested. I will not hesitate to reiterate that our youth in Arewa should embrace digital skills to escape poverty. With your mobile phone, you can learn practical skills free online. There are various mediums to learn digital skills for free such as Google garage, Udacity, Udemy, Coursera, among others. In fact, I am currently learning a digital skill on Coursera.

Please, my brothers and sisters, I believe we can change the narrative. Our region is bedevilled by mass poverty because of the attitude and mindset of our people. An untrained mind will create and recreate poverty irrespective of the available opportunities. So, stop wasting your data on frivolities. Instead, use it judiciously for something meaningful.

Of course, not everyone will be interested in digital skills, but there are other vocational skills you can still learn by watching YouTube videos. For example, people learn how to bake cakes, cook, and do many things by watching videos on YouTube.

Likewise, you can improve your Islamic knowledge by reading good articles and books on various Islamic websites online rather than using social media negatively. The time is now for us to do the right thing and find a way to improve our lives and that of our families. May Almighty Allah accept our supplication in this month of Ramadan.

Aminu Mohammed is at the school of Sustainability, Christian- Albrechts- Universität zu Kiel, Schleswig Holstein, Germany. He can be reached via gravity23n@gmail.com.

By Musa Idris Panshekara

The first human being was created single. Then another creature was created from him. Later all generations were created from the two. Then they were all dispersed on the face of the earth. Some are black, some are yellow, some are tall, some are short while, some are medium, some are fat, and some are thin. All these differences were prescribed for us to contemplate God’s creatures and better interact with one another.

Allah said in the glorious Qur’an, “…the camels, mules and donkeys (were created) for travelling and luxury, and He creates (continuously) what you (companions of the prophet and we) would not know.”

Allah, the alpha and the omega, the omnipotent, the omniscience and the omnibenevolent, knows all that human beings need for their better survival on this globe. That is why He creates us and provides us with all we will rejoice in in our lives.

As a result of technological advancement, it makes life expedient. As a result, the world has become small, and what are remote are brought closer. However, the ubiquity of cell phones resulted in a constant increase in social media users, whereas social media helps get the world close to one another too. These platforms are; Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter and Tiktok.

Some social media users utilise it in a meaningful manner, while others misuse and abuse it. The constant increase of users increase social media abuse. As a result, cybercrimes such as cyber fraud, phishing, social engineering, etc., also increase. On the other hand, some use it in a beneficial and meaningful manner, such as teaching and learning, mentorship, digital marketing, etc.

Some people think social media brings, helps, and contributes to spreading some acts of immoralities. In contrast, some condemn the entirety of social media and label it a means of spreading numerous immoralities in our society. Nevertheless, I can neither deny nor accept all the claims.

Let us scrutinise the following analogies;

The producer produces cups and sells them in the market; consumers buy. Some will use them to drink water and tea, while some will use them to drink intoxicant drinks and other alcoholic beverages, and some will even use them to feed others with poisonous drinks. Therefore, how could the cups be blamed for the above mentioned positive and negative uses? You use your cup and drink cool water or juice. What if I use mine for drinking poison and committing suicide? Whose fault is that? The cup? Never!

Moreover, medicines are made to cure diseases and illnesses, but some people use them otherwise. If a hacker uses a computer and commits malicious acts like fraud, phishing, or hacking someone’s device, whose fault is it? The hacker or the computer? Allah created the world and its contents (social amenities) for human beings to enjoy and perform their prescribed worships (for them to be rewarded in the Hereafter). If humans did not utilise the opportunities and provisions provided to them righteously, who would be blamed?

Social media is no different from the physical world in so many instances. There are friends and acquaintances, family and relatives, teachers and students, mentors and mentees, just like the physical world. But, despite all these, it does not prevent someone from doing what they desire to do on social media. Similarly, all the personalities mentioned above do not prevent someone from misbehaving in the physical world.

We should not call social media terrible or obnoxious. On the contrary, social media is innocuous itself operated by humans. Therefore, it should be considered as another world. In this manner, you would find many people of your ilk (if you are good or otherwise), despite some users portraying their mirror side like a “hyena shrouded with a goat’s skin”.

If you want to benefit from social media, minimise using numerous platforms (you must not be on all platforms). Choose the most important ones and leave the rest. When you are on the selected ones, follow or befriend those whom you will benefit from their educative posts and speeches. Block and unfriend or do not follow those who spread immoralities, whose posts are devoid of knowledge and wisdom.

Avoid engagement in any controversial trending topics, and always remember that those who created the platform you are using are not illiterate or uneducated. They did not make it for charity rather than as a source of income. Therefore, do not let yourself be distracted from whatever you know is important to you. Finally, always remember God watches over you. Whatever you are doing, everywhere you are.

Musa Idris Panshekara wrote from Kano via pmusaidris@gmail.com.

By Sulaiman Badamasi (Mahir)

Social engineering (also known as human hacking) is the art of psychological manipulation of human beings to trick them into making privacy blunders to giving out delicate confidential information. The perpetrator (social engineer) digs background information of the potential victim to identify key necessary weak points and possibly gain the victim’s trust to use the information against them. Before the emergence of social media, it took social engineers a long, frustrating time to acquire as much information as possible about their targets.

However, the dawn of technology saw the 21^st century as the swiftest ever in terms of information circulation. The world has appeared at a height where a single tweet (for example) reaches a billion people in seconds. Thus, information runs fast, businesses nurture, distances diminish, causes foster, coverage enlarges, relationships are created/strengthened, thus making us and our lifestyles more publicized and learned about.

Despite its tremendous impact on making life more relaxed, social media compels us to unconsciously reveal vital personal information about ourselves, families, friends, etc., which could be easily used against us. In other words, what you need to know about people to trigger any havoc on them and their close ones is almost certainly on social media. People’s personal info has become so plentiful that they have a copy of their voter card, national ID card, and driver’s license posted on social media.

Moreover, people reveal their workplaces, positions, type and colour of their vehicles, wives and children (by number, names & faces), schools where their children attend (including class, level, course, location), the colour of their children’s uniforms, favourite food, the interior of their rooms, the kind of electronic devices they own/use, current location, movement plans and means of transportation (motorcycle, car, truck, train, plane) with picture evidence. You know when they sleep/wake, to mention a few.

The recent #KanuTrain attack is a decent scenario of how our personal information can be used against us. The intruders appeared to have readily gathered background details of some of the passengers, including their sitting positions on the train and their social profiles. In a video interview, the killer of Hanifa, the primary school pupil who was allegedly abducted and murdered by her teacher, explained how he took his time, gathered adequate information, and built up his fraternity before executing the unfortunate assault.

The fact is, no ill group/individual strategizes and carries out a successful attack devoid of having sufficient information, which of course, we give generously. Without data, plans go wrong, and they (perpetrators) hardly take these risks nowadays. Repeated evidence has struck our screens on how ill-doers use human informants, drones, and social media accounts to gather information about target victims before carrying out attacks on them, including military bases.

Ethical hackers do not just attack or penetrate internet environments or webservers. Instead, they do footprinting and reconnaissance to know the strengths and identify weaknesses in the system they plan to attack and then exploit them.

Have you ever wondered how your profile pictures can be grilled to reveal more information about you? We often change profile pictures on several occasions. Let us assume you have been on Facebook for ten years and have changed your profile picture ten times (once each year). These ten naturally varying images can be processed using deep learning and natural language processing to understand, for instance, the rate at which you are ageing, how happy/angry/suspicious/innocent you are looking, how healthy or otherwise, to mention a few.

A 30-minute walkthrough of the pictures you have uploaded in the last five years reveals what calibre of people you do mingle with, the state of structure your house is in, the number of countries, states, or towns you have visited, conferences you have attended, how beautiful your wife looks like, which of your siblings/parents/children you love the most, and more. Do you know that a data scientist who knows where you have been going for one year or less can use that data to predict where you will possibly be going next?

All these can be used to perpetrate evils against you/us, thus, informing a possible abductor/kidnapper whether you look like someone who/whose family can afford a ransom payment. Knowing a lot about your family tells them of the softer target amongst them. Of course, they would find it easier to abduct that daughter of yours whose school name, picture, name, age, the colour of the uniform, time to and from school you have made available than you.

Unless we have underlying valid reasons to do so, making our private information and our families public could make them more vulnerable to unnecessary access. Life now looks as if the more your sensitive information is made private, the less you are prone to some unfortunate events.

So, beware!

Sulaiman Badamasi (Mahir) can be reached via sulaimanmahir@gmail.com.

By Yahuza Abdulkadir

A source culled from Wikipedia says that TikTok, known in China as Douyin, is a video-focused social networking service owned by Chinese company ByteDance Ltd. It hosts a variety of short-form user videos, from genres like pranks, stunts, tricks, jokes, dance, and entertainment with durations from 15 seconds to three minutes. TikTok is an international version of Douyin, released initially in the Chinese market in September 2016.

However, I was not a user of TikTok until a few weeks back when a friend gave me the hint to start using the app to promote my art by creating short videos of spoken word poetry. And then, I came to learn young people use the platform to showcase their talents in comedy, singing, dancing and other forms of entertainment through creating short videos and sharing them across a community of users.

However, after launching my account, I felt it was boring for people like me to find comfort there. The only person I was able to follow was Alhan Islam because I am interested in what she does. After a few days, I could no longer log in to the app again.

As of January 2022, out of the 4.8 billion social media users globally, TikTok has 1 billion active users, earning a spot in the six most famous social media platforms. Cloudfare’s 2021 Year In Review puts TikTok as the most famous website in 2021, surpassing even Google. Tiktok net worth is $50 billion in 2020 and now nearly $75 billion in 2022. Despite the nature of content promoted on the platform, one may want to know that so many individuals earn huge amounts of money through their videos’ engagements.

According to Forbes Magazine, a 17-year-old American social media personality and dancer, Charli D’Amelio, the most followed video-creator on the platform, earned $17.5 million in 2021, making her the highest-paid TikToker of the year.

I read many articles on Facebook and other blogs where people lament the platform to be a weapon for killing the young women in this generation. They said most of the videos created by users promote indecency and immorality. But recently, I found out that it’s not only in Nigeria that such content is being promoted; it’s almost everywhere globally. This made some countries take legal action on the matter. Countries like Pakistan has imposed and lifted four bans on TikTok, tagging the platform to be responsible for promoting immoral, obscene and vulgar content.

Bangladesh government also involved itself in the war against pornography to save children and adults from moral and social degradation by blocking the platform’s internet access. TikTok was also temporarily banned in Indonesia in the year 2018. The Indonesian government said the platform has a lot of harmful content to children.

In 2020, the platform was also banned by the Indian government to protect the data and privacy of its citizens from threats that have to do with national security, and they tagged the platform responsible for promoting inappropriate content. As a result, the platform lost 167 million users in the country. What would surprise you is that even China has banned the use of this platform.

This shows that the Nigerian government can also ban TikTok if it wants to. Do you think it’s not possible? I think it’s possible if we look at the “Twitter ban saga.” Unless the government thinks the use of this platform has no consequence on their side. If that’s the case, we need to go back to our homes and solve the problem. As people would say, “Charity begins at home.”

We shall all know that social media platforms are there to serve a purpose, and if it turns out that we tend to lose our good morals and forget where we came from by joining the trends and “feel among syndrome” – showing the world how indecent we are, then we have deceived nobody but us. So I think good characters matters the most.

Furthermore, it’s disheartening to see the young women in the Arewa community selling their body parts on cyberspace, not only on TikTok. This occurs almost on every social media platform. It’s a massive disappointment to our cultures and values. Whatever one might engage in, they should know “the internet never forgets.”

Yahuza Abdulkadir wrote from yahuzaabdulkadir50@gmail.com.

By Mukhtar Garba Kobi

Communication is one of the fundamental means people command, caution and interact with one another. It is as old as human beings because the first created beings (Adam and Eve) communicated. Primitive generations used so many ways in sending signals or messages to other people. They include beating metal gongs, lighting fires on hills, blowing flutes, beating local drums, firing Dane-guns, intense ululations, especially during marriage ceremonies, etc. Moreover, communication passed through generations. More advanced platforms and channels are created to enable people to interact with fellows in far and near places with ease from their comfort zones. 

Every day, sophisticated communication gadgets are invented and taken to markets. The more advanced features are added to social media platforms, the easier messages and information are conveyed to target audiences. According to Global Digital Overview, Facebook has 2.910 billion users, Instagram has 1.478 billion, Twitter has 436 million, TikTok has 1 billion, and WhatsApp has 2 billion active users.

With smartphones and data, people interact live through video calls, share pictures, upload movable images and audio messages, and get instant replies. Yet, despite these developments, youths in Africa and other parts of the world are so addicted to social media that some could not spend 30 minutes without logging in instead of studying for a better future, assisting parents with chores, learning skills to be independents, etc.

Regrettably, some users enjoy chatting in darkness by offing light, not knowing the brightness from phones screens harm their eyes. An eye doctor working with Makka Specialist Hospital in Bauchi, Abba Salisu Abba, explained that the pupil constricts when the light is more than what eyes can accommodate. But when the light is too low or in the darkness, the pupil dilates to search for available light. He further revealed that frequent staring at a light could result in itchy, watery, reddishness of eyes and, if nothing is done, could lead to blindness.

Some parents purchase phones, laptops, and tablets primarily to aid studies of their wards without regular supervision; it is unknown to them that most of their wards use such devices for irrelevant chatting or streaming pornographic content in late hours.

These days, young ladies in recent years shamelessly upload videos of them on TikTok dancing seductively in half-naked dressings; the act pushes some youths to rape teens, work sexually for sugar mummies or pay to satisfy themselves in brothels. Unfortunately, hours spent interacting with friends on social media platforms by students are high compared to the short time given for their studies or research; that has contributed hugely to mass failure during exams. A student from the State Polytechnic even told me that he often sacrifices his meal money to buy data primarily for chatting with friends. Sadly, many lost their lives after applying for jobs advertised on social media. They were pushed to early graves by their employers in unspecified locations. 

Shallow-minded adults and teenagers who heavily use social media platforms tend to believe whatever they come across and easily influence peers, thereby influencing them to snatch phones, kidnappings, or do other criminal acts to possess what celebrities have been bombarding them with on social media platforms. Consequently, most people in Nigeria believe that building crime-free societies is a collective responsibility, but only a few contribute in that direction. Parents no longer check the kind of postings, comments, pictures being uploaded or whatever their children are doing on social media platforms but are good at condemning others.

In summary, it is sacrosanct upon parents to be acting as watchdogs over the activities of their teenage sons and daughters on social media platforms. Parents should be collecting their devices and keeping them from them for days to know the messages coming in or people they are interacting with; this would help them determine the best decision.

Social media laws should work on all and sundry irrespective of positions, backgrounds or influences. The law should provide punishment for users sharing violent content, abuse, or false accusation to innocent individuals or groups to serve as a lesson to others. Furthermore, posting educational content on social media should be encouraged and youths doing that need to be rewarded by authorities; doing so would significantly improve students’ academic performances, thereby leading to good results.

Mukhtar Garba Kobi Wrote from Bauchi State.