Assessment of Social Media Account Security Practices Among Youths in Enugu State

Social media platforms are central to youth communication in Nigeria, yet account security practices among young users in the South East remain poorly documented, creating a gap in understanding of digital risk exposure among this population. This study assessed the social media account security practices of youths aged 16 to 30 in Enugu North and Enugu East Local Government Areas, Enugu State, South East Nigeria. A descriptive survey was conducted among 280 social media users selected through multistage random sampling. The instrument measured password strength practices, two-factor authentication use, privacy settings management, account recovery options configuration, and awareness of account hijacking risks. Results showed that 71.4 percent of respondents used the same password across multiple social media platforms. Two-factor authentication was enabled by only 18.6 percent. Privacy settings were regularly reviewed by only 26.8 percent. Account recovery email or phone number was properly configured by 52.5 percent. Women reported higher rates of profile oversharing than men. Previous account compromise was reported by 33.2 percent. Only 14.6 percent had received any formal guidance on social media account security. The study concludes that social media account security practices among Enugu youths are significantly inadequate across multiple dimensions. Recommendations include youth digital literacy programmes through secondary schools and tertiary institutions, platform-side nudge campaigns for security feature activation, and community-based cybersecurity awareness workshops targeting young users in South East Nigeria.

Keywords: social media security, account hijacking, youth digital safety, Enugu State, password hygiene