"So we need proper laws, not just general laws, but real child online safety laws that tell studios what to allow and what not to allow. The National Assembly should come up with such a law so that a child playing a simple educational game is protected and so that a child playing Whist or any multiplayer game is not exposed to adults with bad ideas."
Ikumapayi Adebanji, a Nigerian game developer, has called on the National Assembly to enact dedicated child online safety laws to protect minors from grooming, bullying, and extremist recruitment on gaming apps and other digital platforms.
Mr Adebanji, who has worked with studios in the United States, Canada and Saudi Arabia, said such a law should clearly define what game studios are permitted or prohibited from allowing on their platforms.
He made the call on Tuesday in a conversation with PREMIUM TIMES in Abuja.
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"So we need proper laws, not just general laws, but real child online safety laws that tell studios what to allow and what not to allow. The National Assembly should come up with such a law so that a child playing a simple educational game is protected and so that a child playing Whist or any multiplayer game is not exposed to adults with bad ideas," he said.
The game developer warned that without tailored legislation, many children playing innocent games may unknowingly encounter strangers who expose them to bullying, scams or exploitation.
"If we do not set clear rules now, we will keep seeing the same problems. Some children will fall into scam groups. Some will be bullied. Some will meet strangers pretending to help them. However, when we have strong laws, the whole space becomes safe, and children can focus on learning real skills and seeing that tech is not only for crime. There is also clean money. There is work. There is a future.
"The truth is that the internet has changed everything. Children now have phones. They know TikTok. They know chat apps. They play online games. At the same time, we all see the rise of Yahoo boys. We see how some areas now treat fraud and crime like normal life. Some children even think Yahoo is the only way to touch money. All these things affect how kids behave online," he added.
Many Nigerian children spend long hours online, primarily playing games, watching videos or using social media. Many also play offline mobile and console video games.
Nigeria currently has no dedicated child online safety law.
A related proposal, the Child Online Protection Bill, is still pending in the House of Representatives. Although the bill aims to regulate children's internet access and hold digital service providers accountable, it does not specifically address the gaming industry, where many minors spend their leisure time.
Existing laws, such as the Cybercrimes Act, which criminalises offences like child pornography and cyberbullying, and the Child Rights Act, which protects children's privacy, do not regulate gaming studios or in-game environments.
Developers creating safety systems in the absence of law
Mr Adebanji said that in the absence of a specific law for gaming platforms, responsible developers are already building safety features into their products.
"Most of our hypercasual games do not have any chat features at all. They are simple tap-and-play games. So they are naturally safe because there is no way for a stranger to message a child there. Our educational games are also built in a closed system where kids only solve puzzles, learn new things, and build cognitive skills without talking to any outsiders. So nothing risky happens in those games," he said.
He noted that his studio's multiplayer card game, Whist, required stronger controls because it allows player interaction.
"Now, for Whist, which is our main multiplayer project, we took extra steps because multiplayer means people can meet other players. Before we even talk of Whist, let me explain something. Many Nigerians grew up playing the card game called Whot. We played it at home. We played it in school. We played it with cousins during the holidays. Whist is different from Whot, but they both give that same Nigerian family vibe. So we rebuilt Whist in a way that feels local and friendly.
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"We know that once you bring chat into a game, it becomes a door. So, we built a system where you can only chat with people you choose. You only chat with friends you accepted, not strangers, not random people that you do not trust. This already removes most grooming and bullying risks because kids cannot receive private messages from unknown adults," Mr Adebanji added
The game developer stressed that his studio has a feature to detect and address any suspected inappropriate behaviour while playing games.
"We also set up very strict filters. Any player who sends explicit messages gets blocked. Any player who tries to act funny with minors is removed quickly. Our system flags strange behaviour, and our moderation team handles it quickly. We do not play with that area at all. So our safety plan is a mix of design and control, hypercasual games where nobody can talk, educational games where kids only learn and grow and Whist, where multiplayer is fun but locked down to people you trust. This way, children still enjoy games but without falling into danger."
