SCHOOL SAFETY IN THE ERA OF SOCIAL MEDIA THREADS: IMPLICATIONS FOR ADMINISTRATORS IN NIGERIA
Abstract
The proliferation of social media platforms particularly thread-based applications such as X, Facebook Threads, WhatsApp, and TikTok has fundamentally altered the landscape of social interaction among Nigerian school-age populations. While these platforms offer unprecedented educational opportunities, they simultaneously generate complex, multidimensional safety threats that school administrators are critically ill-equipped to address. This position paper argues that Nigerian school administrators must urgently adopt proactive, data-driven, and culturally contextualised frameworks to safeguard students from cyberbullying, online radicalisation, sextortion, misinformation-driven violence, and predatory grooming facilitated through social media threads. Drawing on recent empirical evidence, national policy frameworks, and international best practices, the paper advances the position that passive, reactive approaches to school safety are no longer tenable in Nigeria's digital age. Specific implications for policy, administrator capacity building, stakeholder engagement, and legislative advocacy are proposed. The paper concludes with an urgent call for systemic reform in school safety governance as an institutional imperative.
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