Lai Mohammed renews call for social media regulation

Lai Mohammed, former minister of information and culture,says social media platforms should be regulated to prevent harm to individualsand society. Mohammed spoke on Thursday at Roving Heights in Abuja,during a reading of his new book titled ‘Media Moments That Define AnAdministration’. Responding to questions from journalists on his consistentposition on regulating social media, Mohammed likened the need for regulationto safety mechanisms in automobiles. “When cars were made, they had speed gears, but they alsohad brakes,” he said. “For the same reason that an unregulated social media can domore harm than good, not for the government.” He said calls for regulation are not aimed at censorship butat protecting public well-being. “And you can see how slowly, even the western world, theyare coming back to regulate social media,” he said. “See what happened in Australia today, where, if you arebelow a certain age, you don’t have access to it. “It is for the well-being and wholeness of the country, notjust for the government.” Mohammed cited cyberbullying and misinformation as examplesof the dangers of unregulated platforms. “Many young people have been bullied on social media; someof them have committed suicide,” he said. “So it’s important. We are not saying you ban it. No,regulate it. Register with the government, and let there be a code of conduct.And today, with the AI regime, we haven’t seen anything yet. “Many homes have been broken as a result of fake news. So,we need some form of regulation.” Explaining why he wrote the book, Mohammed said publicofficials owe citizens a duty to document their experiences. “I believe that it is important for everybody who has servedat that level,” he said. On the key message of the book, the ex-minister said itseeks to provide context behind media narratives during his time in office. “For me, the major one is that the whole idea is to decodegovernance and those headlines, those soundbites, somethings went behindthere,” he said. “And sometimes those headlines and soundbites don’trepresent the whole story.” Earlier during the book reading, Mohammed warned about whathe described as the growing power of headlines in shaping public opinion. “The powers of headlines are so enormous,” he said. “Unfortunately, these days, with the new technology and newmedia, the attention span of the average citizen has shrunk. People no longerhave time to read articles or read thesis. “The average Nigerian today doesn’t want to read anydocument. He runs away with the headlines, but the headlines don’t always tellthe story.” He said some broadcast programmes now focus solely onheadline reviews without interrogating the substance of reports. “So, most people run away with the headline without evengetting to the story itself,” he said. “And of course, the editors too want catchy headlines tosell their papers. “Now, today, when I go on the social media, and I seebreaking news, I know it is not breaking news at all.” Mohammed also referenced media coverage during the #EndSARSprotest, saying headlines at the time amplified controversy. “It was these same headlines that made the #EndSARS protestso controversial,” he said. “Because the day after the protest was dispersed by thesoldiers, the headlines were ‘massacre at the toll gate’. “They were giving various numbers, some said 100, some said60, some said 40. “Unfortunately, in Nigeria today, you send a story, nobodybothers to verify, they share.”

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