Assessing The Impact of Social Media on Youth Involvement in Criminal Activities in Nigeria
Abstract
The proliferation of social media platforms across Nigeria has fundamentally altered the landscape of youth interaction, presenting what many scholars now characterize as a double-edged sword. While these digital spaces offer unprecedented opportunities for connection, learning, and economic empowerment, mounting evidence suggests they may simultaneously function as vectors for criminal socialization among young Nigerians. This article examines the relationship between social media engagement and youth involvement in criminal activities, drawing on secondary data from national reports, academic studies, and institutional surveys published between 2020 and 2025. The study adopts a mixed-methods secondary analysis approach, synthesizing quantitative data from sources including the Nigerian Communications Commission's 2025 Child Online Safety Report, Gatefield's State of Online Harms 2025 report, and multiple peer-reviewed studies conducted across Nigerian universities. Findings indicate that approximately 68.9 million Nigerian internet users, representing half of the country's online population, regularly experience online harms, with youth aged 18–35 constituting the most vulnerable demographic. The research identifies several mechanisms through which social media facilitates criminal involvement: normalization of deviant behaviour through peer networks, dissemination of technical knowledge for cybercrimes, exposure to fraudulent schemes, and recruitment into criminal enterprises. X (formerly Twitter) accounts for 34% of reported online harms, while Facebook and WhatsApp follow closely behind. Theoretically, the article integrates Routine Activity Theory and Social Learning Theory to explain how social media platforms create converging conditions for offending behaviour. The study concludes that current legal frameworks, including the Cybercrime Act, remain insufficient to address the nuanced ways social media shapes youth criminality. Recommendations include enhanced digital literacy curricula, strengthened platform accountability mechanisms, and the urgent passage of comprehensive child online protection legislation.
Keywords
Social Media, Youth Criminality, Cybercrime, Nigeria, Online Harms, Digital Criminology, Routine Activity Theory
Citations
IRE Journals:
Gbenemene Kpae "Assessing The Impact of Social Media on Youth Involvement in Criminal Activities in Nigeria" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals Volume 9 Issue 9 2026 Page 1509-1521
IEEE:
Gbenemene Kpae
"Assessing The Impact of Social Media on Youth Involvement in Criminal Activities in Nigeria" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals, 9(9)
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