Across Africa, a quiet but profound shift is taking place inside family homes. What used to be spaces defined by conversation, chores, shared meals, and evening storytelling are now illuminated by the glow of smartphones, tablets, and constant internet access. For many parents, these devices have become space invaders, entering the home with ease, settling into children’s hands, and reshaping daily life in ways no one fully anticipated.
What used to be family spaces shaped by conversation and storytelling are now increasingly defined by screens and constant connectivity”
From Nigeria to Malawi, Kenya to Abidjan, and Egypt to South Africa, families are navigating a new reality in which children are going online earlier, staying online longer, and engaging with digital media more intensively than any previous generation. While researchers describe these young people as digital natives to capture their natural adaptability to technology, the pace of change feels overwhelming for many African parents.
In Nigeria, a businesswoman shares how she watches her eight-year-old son expertly swipe through his tablet. Although he uses it for homework, she notes that he is often caught watching cartoons or playing games for hours on end. Her concern echoes across countless households where studies show that children now spend several hours each day interacting with digital media for school, entertainment, or social interaction. As smartphones become more affordable and internet access expands, even toddlers are learning to navigate screens before they can read.
Communication and media scholars note that this shift has transformed how young people learn, socialise, and spend their leisure time. While digital tools offer unprecedented opportunities for creativity and global exposure, they also introduce risks like harmful content, cyberbullying, addiction, pornography, and misinformation, often reaching children before they have the skills to analyse or interpret them.
Children are entering digital worlds faster than their parents can understand or accompany them”
For many families, digital media has been beneficial, particularly during the COVID-19 lockdowns, when online platforms helped children continue learning. Today, apps and educational videos help young Nigerians explore science, languages, and global cultures. Some parents proudly share stories of children who learned coding, music production, or graphic design through YouTube tutorials and other learning platforms.
However, the dangers are equally real because, without supervision, children can stumble into violent videos, gambling sites, or manipulative online communities. Viral challenges on TikTok and Instagram sometimes encourage risky behaviour, and since many children own personal devices, parents often have little visibility into what happens behind the screen. A child psychologist in Cameroon warns that the digital world is moving faster than parents can keep up, creating a vulnerability gap where children explore spaces their guardians do not understand.
While technology evolves rapidly, parenting practices have struggled to keep pace. Many African parents grew up in a world where television was the only screen in the house, and even that was heavily regulated. Today, children carry the internet in their pockets, leaving some parents feeling powerless. A father of three in Nigeria questions how he can guide a child who is teaching him to use the device. This generational gap has left many families without clear strategies, leading some to rely on strict bans while others allow unrestricted access or simply hope for the best.
The challenge is no longer whether children will use digital media, but whether parents will be present enough to guide them”
Faith leaders have entered the conversation by urging families to approach digital media with wisdom and responsibility. The Catholic Church, in particular, has repeatedly emphasised the need for parental presence in the digital environment. In Christus Vivit, Pope Francis warns that the online world can become a place of loneliness, manipulation, and violence, calling on parents to accompany their children with love and attentiveness rather than fear.
Scripture offers a timeless reminder in Proverbs 22:6 to train up a child in the way he should go so that he will not depart from it when he is old. In today’s world, that training must include digital literacy and responsible media habits. The Directory for Catechesis (2020) further urges parents to become digital missionaries in their own homes by modelling healthy media use and fostering open conversations about online experiences.
Ultimately, experts agree that parents remain the most important line of defence, but guidance must go beyond simply restricting screen time. It requires understanding the platforms children use, setting clear boundaries, using parental controls, and encouraging offline activities while modelling healthy digital behaviour. Children do not just need protection; they need mentorship from parents who walk with them rather than parents who panic.
The digital age is here to stay, and while its tools will continue to evolve, the future of African children depends on how families respond today. As one Kenyan mother observed, while we cannot stop the world from changing, we can learn to guide our children through it. Her words capture the heart of the matter: technology may be powerful, but parental presence remains irreplaceable.
