Nasarawa State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Aisha Rufai-Ibrahim has called on parents to regulate the kind of content their children consume on the social media.
Rufai-Ibrahim said that this was important in order to curtail the increasing rate of social vices.
She spoke at a news conference to commemorate the 2024 International Day for Families on Friday, in Lafia.
The commissioner said that the advent of the social media had brought another dimension to children’s exposure.
According to her, it exposes children to platforms where they can commit social vices and crimes without the knowledge of their parents.
She said that a child does not need to go outside the house in the era of social media before committing crime or engaging in unlawful activities as was the case in the past.
The commissioner said that parents must know where their children go, know their friends and what they do.
She urged parents, especially fathers, to spend time every week with their families in ord
er to bond together and know each other better.
‘Parents should try to hangout at least once a week to fraternise and rekindle the affection for each other.
‘This type of communication will go a long way to bring happiness to members of the family and is capable of tackling mental health challenges,’ she added.
She said that husbands need to help their spouses in domestic activities, to reduce the level of stress associated with workload.
Rufai-Ibrahim said that many parents often spend much time making money and building careers that they forget about proper upbringing of their children in the digital age.
She said that families were experiencing the greatest existential challenges in the country due to harsh economic and social conditions.
‘The average standard of living of families has fallen in the face of high inflation caused by the removal of fuel subsidy.
‘The high cost of kerosene, cooking gas and electricity has led to activities that are harmful to the environment, thereby threatening the ec
osystem and leading to climate change,’ she added.
Rufai-Ibrahim said that the wellbeing of families had always been an issue of concern to the Gov. Abdullahi Sule-led administration.
She said that the government would sustain its effort to improve infrastructure and welfare of the people of the state.
Source: News Agency of Nigeria