Lagos Govt raises alarm over social media impact on children’s mental health

The Lagos State Government has called for stronger preventive measures and improved parental guidance to address the effects of social media and foreign influences on children’s mental health.

Tolu Ajomale, who represented the state’s Commissioner for Health at Vanguard’s Mental Health Summit in Lagos on Friday, said children were increasingly exposed to information and ideas that might be disconnected from their immediate environment and cultural realities.

He cautioned that unrestricted access to global content could shape how young Nigerians viewed themselves and dealt with life’s challenges.

“Opening access also means introducing foreign concepts,” Ajomale said, explaining that a 10-year-old child in Yaba, Lagos, could compare their life with that of a child of the same age in California, despite the differences in their backgrounds and living conditions.

He observed that young people were becoming more vocal about their emotional struggles, including anxiety, anger and dissatisfaction with life. However, he stressed the importance of offering them appropriate support and guidance rather than dismissing their concerns.

Ajomale recalled an encounter with secondary school pupils who expressed worries about their lives and personal achievements despite their young ages.

“One of them said, ‘I’m 16. I haven’t done much with my life,'” he recounted, underscoring the need for adults to listen to children and understand their concerns without passing judgment.

“No, specialists. We don’t judge. We listen,” he said, advocating a more empathetic approach to addressing young people’s mental health challenges.

The health official also highlighted the limitations of Nigeria’s mental healthcare system, noting that the rising demand for services was exposing shortages of hospital beds and qualified specialists.

“We don’t have enough beds to manage mental illnesses. We don’t have enough specialists to manage mental illnesses,” Ajomale said.

He maintained that increasing the number of treatment facilities alone would not adequately address the challenge, calling instead for greater emphasis on prevention and early support.

Ajomale further expressed concern that children were becoming disconnected from local knowledge and essential social skills as they increasingly relied on online sources that might not equip them to handle situations in their immediate surroundings.

He said parents, schools, communities and the government all had a role to play in providing young people with practical knowledge and the skills needed to navigate everyday life.

He urged stakeholders to engage younger generations in language they could understand, while offering the context and guidance necessary for them to make informed choices.

The Lagos health official also called for a clearer understanding of the difference between mental health and mental illness, explaining that a person could experience poor mental health without necessarily having a diagnosable mental health condition.

“Our goal is to promote good mental health,” he said, stressing the importance of providing young people with support, mentorship and guidance to help them cope with life’s difficulties.