From Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
Experts have decried the abusive use of the digital space by youths and adolescents in the country.
To this end, the experts drawn from the academic and health sectors made a case for maximisation of opportunities that digital technology offers to improve society.
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Experts in the health sector, including the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Ondo, Prof. Adesegun Fatusi, converged on Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, for the fourth Nigeria Conference on Adolescent and Youth Health Development organised by the Society for Adolescent and Young People’s Health in Nigeria (SAYPHIN), where they brainstormed on issues affecting youths and adolescents.
The Keynote Speaker at the conference, Dr Amina Ahmed El-Imam, who is the Kwara State Commissioner for Health, charged Nigerian youths to make good use of the digital space only.
El-Imam, who spoke on the theme of the conference: “The evolving adolescent and youth in a digital age: Building resilient young people in a changing world,” said, “digital addiction can lead to a decrease in physical activities and poor mental health.”
While acknowledging that “enhanced communication using digital technology fosters social connectivity and opens doors for innovation,” she said it has its downsides, such as cyberbullying, fraud, misinformation, stress, and anxiety, among others.
She therefore advocated that youths must build resilience through “digital literacy, responsible use of digital technology, mental strength, and emotional intelligence.”
The President of SAYPHIN, Professor Fatusi, who is a renowned Professor of Community Medicine, described the conference as the largest gathering of stakeholders in the adolescent and young people’s health and development field in Nigeria.
He said this year’s conference focused on one of the greatest developments, dynamics, and dilemmas in the annals of the world and development of young people – digital technology.
Prof. Fatusi added that the conference was designed to see how participants can be “better positioned to harness the amazing opportunities that digital technology presents for a better future for our young people and nation as well as equip them with new knowledge, skills, and partnerships to address the huge challenge that comes from compulsive and abusive use of digital technology by some young people.”
To ensure that the interventions from the conference are pragmatic and implementable, the Chairperson, Local Organising Committee of the Conference, Prof. Omosivie Maduka, said, “we organised the conference with the adolescents and youths across Nigeria. This is to know the challenges they face and solve them collectively.”
The conference was attended by youths and adolescents, academics, policymakers, and supported by development partners such as UNICEF, UNFPA, and Girl Effect, among others.
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