Exploring Dynamics of Social Media Digital Gaps and Parenting Issues as Enhancers of Digital Child Trafficking in Nigeria

Abstract

Unprecedented children’s access to modern technology and digital deficiencies among parents have significantly impacted many aspects of society. Adversely, issues of child trafficking in Nigeria, as observed, have been enhanced digitally. Social media platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, have become a powerful tool for traffickers to identify and target vulnerable children and coerce them into trafficking situations. Parents, however, lack the ability to curb digital cases of child trafficking. Sadly, victims of child trafficking end up in the ruthless den of ritualists and kidnappers. Against this backdrop, this study adopts a descriptive survey research design. Qualitatively, documentary evidence as data were gathered on social media. Thematic analysis revealed that vulnerable victims are materially lured into incidents of child trafficking. Parents, due to digital deficiencies and economic pursuit, are dormant in checking children’s usage of social media. Fictitiously, traffickers adopt numerous strategies, like generating fake profiles and using encoded messaging, to escape detection from law enforcement agencies. The need to check and identify suspicious behaviour by parents and stakeholders as an intervention and potential rescue for victims before they are trafficked was recommended. This will help to ameliorate incidences of child trafficking, which is a menace and retrogressive to societal growth.