GLOBALISATION, SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE DECLINE OF MORAL VALUES AMONG NIGERIAN YOUTHS: THE ROLE OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION AND FAMILY INSTITUTIONS

Abstract

Globalisation and social media have transformed the ways Nigerian youths acquire information, form identities, relate with peers and interpret moral standards. While digital platforms expand educational opportunity, civic participation and religious expression, they also expose young people to materialism, sexualised content, cybercrime, cyberbullying, peer pressure and culturally detached lifestyles. This paper examines the relationship among globalisation, social media use and the perceived decline of moral values among Nigerian youths. It argues that moral decline should not be reduced to technology alone; rather, it emerges from the interaction of digital globalisation, weak socialisation, economic hardship, peer influence and declining parental authority. Using social learning theory, ecological systems theory and moral development perspectives, the paper shows that religious education and family institutions remain decisive counterweights to negative digital influences. Religious education can cultivate conscience, self-discipline, empathy, honesty and responsibility, while families can provide supervision, modelling, communication and value reinforcement. The paper recommends digital literacy, collaborative home–school–religious institution partnerships, culturally grounded moral instruction, responsible content regulation and youth-centred mentoring. It concludes that Nigerian society should not merely condemn social media; it should deliberately equip young people to use it ethically.