The advent of social media in complementing the mainstream ones is seen as a necessary evil to many communities that hitherto were cut off from effective means of communication in reaching to others in far-away places.
At best, the new media fast-track speedy communication, save time and space as well as aid business transactions between individuals, organizations and the rest.
At worst, the media dig the hole of moral value, abet scams and hackings, destroy marital relationships, deflower the young especially teenagers and millennials, erode reading culture, aid robbery, kidnapping and other criminal activities, open vista of financial impropriety as well as amplify corrupt practices, among others.
It is unfortunate that many parents in well-to-do families unwittingly arm their children even wards at tender ages with android phones known in some circles as weapon of moral destruction for browsing. At times, these innocents browse and veer into pornographic sites and others with loathsome materials that help to tilt their moral compass the wrong way.
Again, some of the children even teenagers rely more on browsing and checking harmful pictures and reading toxic materials that are injurious to their well-being.
Even some adults mostly the married may spend precious man-hours in browsing, chatting or sending text messages through Face book and Instagram and Pinterest even Podcasts to others, thus wasting time and ruining their marriages.
For lack of understanding, some people mainly the youths are paid and they turn to monkey or pen writers by deploring Face book using uncouth and abrasive words to insult their elders and assault the sensibilities of others.
Owing to the havocs people are using the social media to perpetrate, the Federal Government contemplated enactment of Hate Speech bill to check the rising wave of the cyber crimes. Though government’s intention to enact the bill is remotely unknown, many human right activists and journalists are averse to the idea.
Though it is reasoned that the bill will curb rumour, gossips, and false alarm, the intention of regulating the social media is still foggy at least to discernible minds.
Be that as it may, we hereby call on the Federal Government to lock and control some sites especially pornographic as done by China and some Asian countries to curb abuse by many.
We call on parents to stop providing sophisticated phones to their secondary schools’ children or to stop being sloppy by exposing or allowing their nursery school children to lay hands and browse their phones.
The state government should regularly organise holiday educational programmes for the youths to sway their minds from hedonistic and sedentary lifestyles as well provide unemployment benefits to the jobless as a means of warding off their minds from crimes.
Spiritual leaders have to dissuade the youths from constantly using or browsing their phones but should encourage them to read the Bible and pray thereafter to firm up their spiritual lives.
The earlier the government and people rise up to stem social media abuse in our country and in the state, the better for the growth of a healthy, sane and prosperous society.
