A cybersecurity expert, Gbemisola Esho, has urged regulators to mandate practical, infrastructure-based safeguards on digital platforms to protect children from online predators, phishing and social engineering attacks.

Ms Esho made the call on Friday in an interview in Abuja.

Phishing is a form of cyberattack in which predators trick people into revealing sensitive data, including credit card numbers, bank verification numbers, national identification numbers, passwords, and bank account details.

They usually pretend to be a trusted organisation operating on behalf of a person or institution/organisation, such as banks, highly rated government agencies, and others.

Ms Esho said online child protection should go beyond laws, policies and content moderation at the application level to include security measures embedded in the internet infrastructure.

She said the Domain Name System Security Extensions, which add a layer of security to the Domain Name System, could help identify manipulated domains and protect children from malicious websites.

According to her, the Nigerian Internet Registration Association has deployed DNSSEC in Nigeria, but many platforms and organisations are yet to take full advantage of the technology.

“My approach is that child protection should go beyond the application layer to the infrastructure layer. The applications children use are only the surface; practical safeguards must also be built into the systems supporting internet access,” she said.

Ms Esho explained that online predators often use phishing and social engineering to deceive children, conceal their identities and gain their trust.

She said deploying DNSSEC across digital platforms could help detect domain manipulation and reduce the risks associated with fraudulent websites used to target children.

The expert also called for safeguards that prevent unknown adults from contacting minors on digital platforms, stressing that such measures should be mandatory for platforms operating in Nigeria.

She said age verification and other protective mechanisms should operate behind the scenes, automatically activating additional safeguards when a user is identified as a minor.

According to her, regulators responsible for overseeing digital platforms should ensure compliance with the measures, rather than relying solely on legal and policy frameworks after harm has occurred.

Ms Esho called for similar safeguards across Africa to strengthen children’s online safety.

She also identified digital literacy as an important component of child protection, noting that children might not fully understand the risks of interacting with online platforms and artificial intelligence-powered systems.

The expert expressed concern that some children are seeking emotional support and advice from digital platforms and may develop trust in systems they do not understand to be non-human.

She warned that harmful advice or manipulation through such interactions could have devastating consequences, including suicide in extreme cases.

Ms Esho said that sexual exploitation, including the coercion of children into sharing intimate images, could cause lasting psychological and social harm.

She said protecting children online required a layered approach combining infrastructure security, platform safeguards, regulatory enforcement and digital literacy.

(NAN)