As children use smartphones and internet-connected devices for learning and entertainment, concerns persist about exposure to online predators, data exploitation and harmful content. Safeguards lag behind.
Unlike employees protected by corporate security systems, millions of children use devices at home with little supervision, often through family Wi-Fi networks without safeguards.
Theophilus Kudjo Lumor, a cybersecurity and network engineering expert in Ghana’s Parliament, says children under 15 are an unmanaged population online, despite being among its most vulnerable users.
“We would never allow an unmanaged device onto a corporate network. Yet millions of unmanaged devices sit on our home networks, in the hands of the least capable users we have,” he said.
Risks include online grooming, exploitation, data harvesting and manipulative content targeting children who may not understand the consequences of sharing information or interacting with strangers.
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Lumor says artificial intelligence has compounded these concerns. While AI offers opportunities for innovation, security oversight has not kept pace with the collection of data, leaving it exposed to breaches and misuse.
“A governance framework that protects the building but forgets the people inside it is half a framework,” he said.
Governance framework
Lumor is calling for a globally aligned cybersecurity and AI governance framework built around eight pillars: data governance, risk management, identity and access management, secure development, threat intelligence sharing, privacy, third-party assurance, and incident response and monitoring.
He urged African governments to implement the African Union Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection, known as the Malabo Convention. Adopted in 2014, it entered into force in 2023.
Kenya has included online child protection in its Children Act and introduced the Digital Literacy Programme in primary schools.
Ghana runs the Safer Digital Ghana campaign, while Egypt, Rwanda and Zambia have also introduced safety initiatives.
Lumor wants child online protection made a permanent feature of cybersecurity conferences and African countries to establish national frameworks within 24 months.
These should include laws, budgets, designated authorities, school safety lessons and accessible reporting channels.This requires coordinated public action.
He also called for stronger data sovereignty and board-level oversight of AI risks, saying cybersecurity is a public-interest responsibility shared by governments, technology companies, institutions, professionals and parents