AWARENESS OF CYBERSTALKING LAW AMONG FACEBOOK AND X (FORMERLY TWITTER) USERS IN OWERRI METROPOLIS, IMO STATE

The major concern that has been raised as a result of the high frequency of social media usage is cyberstalking. Inrecent times, Facebook and X are flooded with hate speeches, thoughtless comments and unauthorized sharing ofpersonal images and leaving the victims emotionally and mentally drained. cyberstalking has become an alarmingand persistent issue on social media, affecting users from all walks of life. While a lot of persons engage in thisbehaviour, few understand the consequences it carries. This study examined Facebook and X users’ level ofawareness, extent of knowledge of cyberstalking law in Nigeria and the extent to which their knowledge ofcyberstalking law affects their usage of Facebook and X. The Survey research design was used in the study. Thesampling procedures used in this study were Purposive and Simple Random sampling. A sample size of 384 wasdrawn using the Cochran sample determining method. Google form was used as instrument for data collection.SPSS was used to analyze the data. The research questions were answered using the mean and standard deviation.Findings revealed that the respondents were moderately aware of the cyberstalking law in Nigeria; respondents to amoderate extent, have knowledge of the cyberstalking law in Nigeria and that the respondents’ knowledge ofcyberstalking law in Nigeria have to a large extent influenced their usage of Facebook and X. The study majorlyrecommended that targeted awareness programs or campaigns on the issue of cyberstalking and the existence ofcyberstalking laws in Nigeria should be created.