The Chief Imam of the University of Ibadan, Professor Muftau Abdulrahman Oloyede, has warned against the detrimental effects of social media addiction among tertiary institution students, attributing it to a rise in mental health issues.
Delivering his sermon following the obligatory Eld-Fitri prayers, which he led at the university premises on Wednesday, Oloyede highlighted the alarming trend.
Notable figures present at the Eld-Fitri prayer included former Governor of Oyo State and Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, Senator Sarafadeen Abiodun Alli representing Oyo South Senatorial District, and Senator Teslim Kolawole Folarin.
Addressing the congregation, the Islamic scholar lamented the excessive time spent by students on social media platforms, which has been linked to a surge in mental health disorders.
Oloyede urged parents and guardians to monitor their children’s social media usage closely, emphasizing that instances of mental health challenges among students have been directly linked to excessive screen time.
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Furthermore, in his discourse, he condemned the recent killings of soldiers in the country, calling on Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ensure accountability by bringing the perpetrators to justice.
“Social media has its usefulness and also has its dangers. We have reports from our medical service unit that some students are having mental illness. This is as a result of addiction and abuse of social media.
“Some of them spend their nights without sleeping on the internet and this is affecting them. They cannot sleep again because they have one online course or the other.
“Addiction to social media is causing mental problems among the students. Parents should be warned and advised not to use social media negatively.
“The killing of our soldiers is unfortunate. The president should take action and ensure that those responsible are brought to the book. It is not done in normal society for you to kill the soldiers and police protecting you”.
