Foreign Digital Contents Taking Over Traditional African Values - Sam George

Minister of Communication, Digital Technology, and Innovation, Sam George has raised alarm about the increasing impact of foreign digital content on African children, cautioning that it is eroding traditional values, such as respect for elders and parents.

According to the minister, statistics show that one in three African parents think their kids no longer respect their parents, a traditional African value.

Mr. George was speaking at the 4th Inter-Parliamentary Conference on Family, Sovereignty, and Values on Thursday, June 4, 2026.

“Seventy-eight per cent of African children’s content comes from foreign platforms. So your kids, your grandkids are spending time and 78 per cent of the content that they listen to is from a foreign platform,” he remarked.

He claimed that children were being exposed to norms and behaviors that frequently ran counter to African cultural values as a result of their increased consumption of foreign information on digital platforms.

“One in three African parents are reporting that their children have gone wayward. They’ve lost the African value of respect for parents and that’s coming from online platforms,” he said.

According to Mr. George, conventional institutions and community structures that were formerly crucial to socialization have frequently been replaced by digital platforms, which have emerged as a powerful force in influencing young people's attitudes and behaviors.

“You just need to take your time and listen to what our kids are watching, your grandchildren are watching online and you’ll be shocked at what they are being told is the new norm for dealing with parents,” he cautioned.

He argued that many digital platforms encourage ideas and behaviors that go against traditional family structures and cultural norms, and he advised parents and guardians to pay closer attention to the stuff their children consume online.

“For millennia, the African identity has been a respect for the elderly and our communal living. Today, the new generation of Africans have no respect for the elderly and family councils and elders and community ceremonies are now a thing of folklore and a distant past.”

Respect for elders, communal living, and family-centered decision-making, according to the minister, have long been essential components of African identity, but he cautioned that these principles are now under danger.

“Digital platforms have inserted themselves as the primary socialisation background for a whole generation,” he added.

The minister contended that for many young people around the continent, internet platforms are becoming their main means of socialization.