Making Nigerian Children Better Citizens through the use of technology

A better citizen is one who keeps to the rules and regulations of the society he is born in and ensures he or she plays his or her functional roles religiously. It means having respect for other people you cohabit the society with as well as for their properties. It is about being well informed about the goings on in one’s society and knowing and respecting the rights of others.

Technology, on the other hand, refers to those machineries and equipment developed from the application of scientific knowledge such as televisions, artificial intelligence, mobile phones and what have you. 

One of the ways Nigerian children can be made better citizens through the use of technology is by developing television programmed that would inculcate the right attitudes, character and knowledge that will help them become functional members of the society. Take for instance, a National Television Authority programme, Tales by Moonlight. It was a forum where several folktales from the vast cultures of the peoples of Nigeria were both narrated and dramatized. Life lessons, societal norms were weaved into entertaining folktales for children and as a child, I remember always looking forward to the programme as well as learning a lot about acceptable behaviour patterns from it. 

Also, turning on the parental guidance control on television subscriptions is also another way of using technology to make children better citizens. A lot of parents forget to do this and it exposes these children to explicit programmes with their resultant negative effects on the children. 

Also, installing the technology of Closed Circuit Television Cameras also known as CCTV cameras, at home would help condition the children to behave as better citizens. The sheer consciousness that they are being watched at all times via these cameras would help condition them to behave appropriately and desist from any act that may be antithetical to the norms of the family and the society at large. 

Finally, the use of phones can help children become better citizens as it  provides real time information on the goings on in their environment and society and provides them with the relevant tools to properly attend to emergencies as a good citizen should. Take for instance, there is a case of fire outbreak in the house and there are only children at home. With the aid of handsets, they can call the firemen and as well with the help of the knowledge they must have garnered from watching cartoons that describe the activities of firemen, they can properly protect themselves from sustaining threatening injuries or aiding the spread of the fire. 

The use of technology in making better citizens of children is inexhaustible but the truth remains that technology can play significant roles in making better citizens of children when properly employed. 

@ostareze