David Oyedepo, presiding bishop of Living Faith Church Worldwide, says unlimited access to social media platforms is robbing youths of their future.
Speaking on Friday at the seventh convocation of Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Kwara state, Oyedepo called for urgent steps to check unrestricted access to social media.
The popular cleric, who is also the chancellor of the institution, lamented that many young people spend most of their time chatting, with lesser time to engage in productive tasks.
“It unconsciously robs people of their future by robbing them of their time — no time to think; no time to plan; no time to programme,” Oyedepo said.
“This generation may lose her heroes to social media disaster. Here is one creeping serpent that is eating up the destinies of many individuals.
“We must wake up from our slumber to deal with this monster. Young people, beware! Addiction to social media is like addiction to drugs. It can render a whole destiny useless.
“This social media saga has eroded the substance of destiny of most youths today. What is supposed to be a plus has suddenly become a major minus, because everything of value delivers through investment of time.
“Suddenly, we are faced with a generation on the wrong side of history; the honour of this generation has been wiped off — chatting all day with no time left to think, plan, programme and engage productively in the pursuit of any task.
“Many youths spend less than 10 to 20 percent of their time on their tasks per day. They can never match a generation that spends 70 percent to 80 percent of their time on their tasks.
“We must devise means to put a check on free access to social media, particularly those that are not adding values. Life is a race. Everyone should get on the track, ready for the run of their lives.”
In 2019, the preacher had said it was archaic to attempt regulating social media.
However, in May, Oyedepo said the excessive use of social media has made many lose focus and rob them of their destiny.
On Wednesday, the federal government asked the house of representatives to enact a law to regulate social media in the country.
The decision came less than two weeks after Lai Mohammed, minister of information, announced the suspension of Twitter’s operations in Nigeria.
