NJOMACS

This study examines how medical doctors in the Federal Medical Centres (FMC) Keffi and Jabi utilise social media platforms for disseminating paediatric health information. The central objective was to assess the extent of social media adoption, the nature of health content shared, and the perceived effectiveness and challenges of these digital communication practices. Guided by the Diffusion of Innovations Theory (Rogers, 2003), the study adopted survey design to elicit data from structured questionnaire. The findings revealed that most doctors actively use social media particularly WhatsApp and Facebook to share information on immunisation, nutrition, and child safety. However, barriers such as misinformation, limited digital literacy, weak institutional frameworks, and ethical concerns significantly hinder effective communication. Despite these challenges, doctors acknowledged social media’s value in improving caregiver awareness and promoting preventive paediatric health practices. The study concludes that while social media have a transformative potential for child health education, its impact depends on ethical use and institutional support. It therefore recommends the establishment of clear digital communication policies, continuous professional training on social media ethics, and collaborative campaigns between healthcare institutions and media organisations to ensure reliable paediatric health information dissemination.