Look around, and it’s clear that our children—our precious young people—are under immense pressure. It doesn’t take a soothsayer to recognize this. One of the major pressure points they face today stems from undue exposure to media. Now, I don’t believe media or social media is inherently evil; in fact, I see it as a remarkable advancement for which I am grateful. However, there is a glaring issue we’re missing—regulation. And when I say regulation, I’m not just talking about technology-driven solutions. I’m talking about value-based, parental regulation.

Before we get to the technological aspect of managing media exposure, we must first address how we are instilling values in our children. Regulation starts at home, with parents actively guiding their children in consuming content. The second critical issue is content generation. As I’ve often argued, content is at the heart of many issues facing our children. The type of content they are exposed to has a direct impact on their conduct.

Erwin McManus put it succinctly: “What informs you, forms you.” And it is in this context that I want to focus on the pressure of the ‘get-rich-quick’ culture affecting young people, particularly in Africa. We see them being lured into harmful practices such as cyber fraud (commonly called Yahoo Yahoo) and even ritual killings, with cases of teenagers engaging in horrific acts to amass wealth. For instance, we recently heard of a 17-year-old who killed three people in an attempt to perform rituals for wealth. This tragic behavior is a direct reflection of the kind of content they are consuming—content that glamorizes wealth without effort or responsibility.

If content drives conduct, we need to take a hard look at what is being presented to our young people today. One major crisis we are dealing with is the flaunting of material wealth on social media. We see individuals—men and women alike—parading their mansions, luxury cars, and extravagant lifestyles, often posting videos of lavish spending at parties. This creates a subliminal message that money is easy to come by and even easier to spend. The harmful effect on our children is the false belief that wealth is quick, effortless, and without consequence.

I have observed four common traits among those who engage in this public flaunting:

1. False Riches: Most of these individuals are not as wealthy as they claim to be. What they flaunt is a decoy.
2. Lack of Transparency: They cannot explain the source of their wealth. Those who acquire wealth through legitimate hard work rarely engage in such behavior. Across the globe, it is those with ill-gotten gains who feel the need to constantly flaunt their possessions.
3. Lack of Character: These individuals often lack proven character. Their image is built on superficiality, and their values are flimsy, like straw. What they project is mere appearance, not substance.
4. Impermanence: They do not last. Even before the rise of social media, we saw people like this come and go—fleeting, like vapors that appear for a while and then vanish.

These are lessons we must teach our young people. There is dignity in labor, and we must emphasize this, despite the distorted examples they see around them. If they fall into the mindset of “If you can’t beat them, join them,” they lose their way and become victims of the very culture they once admired.

Sadly, we also see this flaunting of wealth among Nigerian politicians, who use their positions to influence and mislead young people. But we must be clear: this is not the path to follow. As Edmund Burke said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” In times of moral crisis, silence is not an option. The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in a time of moral crisis, remain neutral. We must speak up and guide our young people towards a future built on integrity, hard work, and responsible conduct.