Google has committed $600,000 to improve online safety for Nigerian children through two initiatives targeting parents, teachers, caregivers and young people.
The programmes, supported by Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm, will combine Nigeria’s first nationwide study of children’s online experiences with practical training to help families and educators protect young people from digital risks.
Under the first initiative, Google.org is providing $550,000 in funding and $50,000 in Google Ad Grants to the TechSocietal Development Foundation to study the online experiences of 2,000 adolescents across the country’s six geopolitical zones.
The project will also train 5,000 teachers and school administrators and equip 200 community champions to extend digital safety education to 10,000 parents and caregivers.
The second initiative introduces Google’s Meet LEO (Learn and Explore Online) programme to Nigeria, marking its first pilot in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Delivered by Tech Hive Advisory across four states, the programme will train 500 teachers and youth leaders to promote safer internet habits and use tools such as Google Family Link, SafeSearch and YouTube Supervised Experiences.
The training will subsequently reach 2,500 additional students and community members, bringing the combined target of the two initiatives to 18,000 people.
The intervention comes amid growing concerns about children’s exposure to harmful online content, cyberbullying and privacy risks. A recent consultation by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) found that 93.5 per cent of Nigerians were concerned about online threats facing minors.
According to Olumide Balogun, Country Director, Google Nigeria, protecting children online should not mean denying them access to the internet’s educational and developmental opportunities.
“By pairing them with local research through TechSocietal and educator training through Tech Hive Advisory, we are helping every Nigerian child learn and explore safely online,” he said.
Also, National Commissioner of Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Dr Vincent Olatunji, described the initiatives as an important step towards building a safer digital environment through collaboration among government, technology companies, educators and families.
He said combining local research with practical digital skills would help children navigate the internet more safely.
Ridwan Oloyede, Lead Partner at Tech Hive Advisory, said the Meet LEO programme would equip frontline educators and youth leaders with practical tools to extend online safety awareness to thousands of learners.
Tope Ogundipe, Executive Director of TechSocietal Development Foundation, said the Google.org support would provide evidence on the digital experiences of Nigerian teenagers while strengthening the capacity of teachers and caregivers to guide them.
The latest commitments build on more than $3.5 million Google.org has invested in online safety initiatives across Sub-Saharan Africa since 2020. Its interventions have reached 2.3 million Nigerians through 10 local organisations and supported the training of more than 43,000 young people through Junior Achievement Africa.