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5 Tips to Keep Your Child Safe on the Internet

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Parenting comes with a lot of headaches. From the moment you take the decision to allow your child own a smartphone or other smart device, a whole source of worry develops.

This is because despite the many benefits that comes with exposure to the internet, your child also needs to be protected from the inherent dangers and pitfalls of the notorious web.

The following tips from the Research and Development of Yudala, Nigeria’s fastest growing e-commerce outfit, will help keep your child safe on the internet.

Comply with age restrictions for social media use
With the growing number of social media sites available, most parents have a hard time keeping tabs on the ones their children use.
It must, however, be stated that there are age restrictions for various social networks and blogs as a protective measure for kids.
This is especially because some of these sites can have serious negative effects on children. These include exposing them to nudity, cyber-bullying, inappropriate content or grooming.  Interestingly this fact is lost on many parents, with statistics showing that some parents don’t know if their children are old enough to use social networks like Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat.
One of the ways of keeping your child safe on the internet is to monitor and ensure that they are old enough for the various social networks they use and also, that you do not give in to the temptation of allowing them have accounts when they are not old enough.
For the avoidance of doubts, your child must be at least 16 or older to use WhatsApp; 18 or older to use YouTube, Flickr, Keek (or 13 with parent’s permission), while the likes of Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Reddit, Tumblr, Google+, Pinterest require that your child is at least 13 years old.

Beware of Cyber-bullying
It is important to educate your child on the pervasive problem of cyber-bullying and its often tragic effects on victims.
Owing to the increasingly technology-mediated world we live in, the scope of bullying has extended from physical interactions in schools and playgrounds among students to the internet.
Cyberbullying refers to the use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature.
These include posting rumors about a person, threats, sexual remarks, disclosing one’s personal information or hate speech. Research has shown a consistently strong link between bullying and suicide, as seen in recent bullying-related suicides in the United States and other countries, with global attention drawn to the potentially damaging effects of the scourge following a string of high-profile cases.
The threat of cyber-bullying is real and children must be taught to immediately report mean or insulting messages when they come across these online.
Furthermore, lines of communication must be kept open to ensure your child knows that he/she must talk to a teacher or parent whenever something happens online that makes him/her feel uncomfortable.

Don’t give out personal information online
Children are often impressionable especially up to their teens. This makes them vulnerable to unscrupulous elements in cyber-space looking to take advantage of their naivety and trusting nature.
A recent survey of 1,300 parents and 900 children conducted by renowned tablet maker LeapFrog revealed that children as young as five are sharing personal information online with people they don’t know in real life, with over half (56 per cent) of the children polled admit to sharing key personal information online, putting themselves at risk of illegal activity or abuse such as bullying, fraud or cyber predators.
The survey further showed that about 41 per cent of children have shared their full name with strangers online and another 38 per cent have sent photographs of themselves. It is important for your child to know that personal information must not be given out to strangers without the permission of a parent.
Personal information includes sensitive data such as passwords, home address, last name, photographs, school name, telephone number, credit/debit card information, etc. These could be used maliciously by a cyber-criminal to potentially costly effects.

Exercise caution with online friends
Cyber-friendship is a concept that has been taken to far-reaching levels owing to the popularity of social media networks such as Facebook, among others. It is much easier to make friends on the internet as the anonymity of the web and the virtual space it creates gives teenagers and other young users a false sense of security.
This has often resulted in regrettable consequences for some exposed kids through avoidable encounters with sexual offenders, cyber-bullies, child predators and cyber-fraudsters.
Research from the Polly Klaas Foundation has it that about 54% of children sampled admitted to frequently having private conversations with online strangers or ‘friends’ through instant messaging.
To ensure your child remains safe online, it must be emphasized that extreme caution must be exercised when making friends online or accepting friendship requests on social media. Also, physical meeting with an online friend must not be considered without the permission of a parent.

Safe Downloads
With ransomware and hacking taking on global ramifications, (examples include the recent WannaCry and Petya attacks which affected computers in over 150 countries), it is important for kids for understand the need to seek permission before downloading or installing software on their laptops, tablets, smartphones or other devices.
If left unguided, unsuspecting children may be lured into opening suspicious links or downloading malicious software that may compromise the entire family’s privacy or sensitive information. The same level of caution should apply when your child is using a shared resource such as a desktop or laptop computer in school or a cyber-café.


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Jumia Expands Nationwide Footprint, Deepens Reach Across Underserved Nigerian Cities

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e-commerce company, Jumia Nigeria, has announced a significant expansion of its logistics and pickup network across Nigeria, extending its reach into underserved regions and strengthening access to e-commerce services for millions of consumers.

The expansion, executed during the first quarter of 2026, marks a deliberate shift toward upcountry growth, with new and expanded operations across Northern Nigeria, including Kebbi, Sokoto, and Kaduna, while also strengthening presence in strategic cities like Zaria. The move is designed to close long-standing coverage gaps in high-potential areas and bring its services closer to more customers.

According to the company, the expansion reflects a convergence of customer demand, infrastructure strategy, and long-term market development, as more Nigerians outside major urban centres seek reliable access to digital retail.

“We are seeing a structural shift in where demand is coming from. What this expansion does is align our infrastructure with that reality. By extending our network deeper into the country, we are not only improving service delivery, but we are also unlocking new demand, enabling more sellers to participate in the digital economy, and building a more inclusive retail ecosystem that reflects the true scale of the Nigerian market,” said Temidayo Ojo, CEO of Jumia Nigeria.

The rollout includes a significant increase in pickup stations and delivery touchpoints across both established and emerging cities. Existing urban centres such as Lagos, Ibadan, Abuja and Port Harcourt have seen network density increase, while new and previously underserved locations are being integrated into Jumia’s logistics grid. This broader footprint is supported by investments towards parcel distribution centres, designed to decentralise inventory flow, reduce delivery time, and optimise operating costs across regions.

As part of the expansion, Jumia has also strengthened its logistics partnerships and delivery capacity, enabling more efficient last-mile fulfilment while creating income opportunities for a growing network of logistics partners and JForce agents. The company notes that these investments are critical to sustaining scale as order volumes increase across a more geographically diverse customer base.

Looking ahead, Jumia plans to extend its expansion into the South-East and South-South regions ahead of the peak retail season, further increasing its national coverage and reinforcing its position as a leading e-commerce platform in Nigeria.


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RHUCE Taps Into Africa’s $3Bn Creator Economy with New Monetisation Platform

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RHUCE, a new social platform designed for African creatives, has officially launched today, introducing a new model for how creators across the continent can turn their skills, learning, and content into income.

RHUCE Taps Into Africa’s $3B Creator Economy with New Monetisation Platform

RHUCE

As Africa’s creator economy, estimated at over $3 billion, continues to grow, millions of young people are building digital skills but struggle to convert them into sustainable opportunities. RHUCE aims to bridge this gap by combining professional identity, creator monetisation, and opportunity discovery in a single ecosystem.

“Across Africa, talent is everywhere, but opportunity is fragmented,” said Simeon Ifeoluwa Adeyanju, CEO of RHUCE Limited. “Creators are learning, building, and sharing their work, but they lack a structured way to turn that into visibility, credibility, and income.”

Unlike traditional platforms that prioritise virality or finished work, RHUCE enables users to document their growth in real time, transforming their learning journey into a living portfolio.

“We believe your journey is your greatest asset,” Adeyanju said. “On RHUCE, your growth becomes your portfolio, your consistency builds your credibility, and opportunities can discover you based on what you’re becoming, not just what you’ve done.”

The platform introduces a shift from application-based hiring to discovery-driven opportunities, where creators are matched with jobs, gigs, and collaborations based on their evolving skills and documented progress.

“Instead of chasing opportunities across WhatsApp groups, DMs, and multiple platforms, we’ve built a system where you can post once and be discovered continuously,” he added.

RHUCE also provides monetisation tools that allow creators to earn through digital products, paid learning content, and brand-sponsored campaigns, unlocking new income streams within Africa’s fast-growing digital economy.

With over 60% of Africa’s population under 25, the platform positions itself as infrastructure for the continent’s next generation of talent.

“RHUCE is not just a platform for finished professionals,” Adeyanju said. “It is for people becoming something. Our goal is simple: help Africans turn learning into opportunity, and opportunity into income.”


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Kaspersky Warns of Digital Medicine Risks on the Occasion of World Health Day

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On World Health Day, Kaspersky warns of risks tied to the digitisation of healthcare and use of telemedicine. Recent incidents show that medical services can be breached, and as a result, medical records may be leaked and then traded on the dark web.

The operations of healthcare services can get disrupted. Another aspect is that healthcare platforms may share user data with third parties that handle it irresponsibly.

Telemedicine has moved from a convenience to a core part of healthcare delivery, but its security model has not kept pace with its adoption, and the risks are not theoretical. Recent incidents highlight how real these risks have become.

In 2023, it was disclosed that Cerebral, a major telehealth provider focused on mental health services, had been sharing sensitive patient data – including mental health assessments, intake information, and personal identifiers – with third-party platforms such as social media and advertising networks. Millions of users were affected over several years.

More broadly, incidents in 2025 illustrate a different but equally critical risk – large-scale disruption of digital healthcare infrastructure. The breach of the ManageMyHealth patient portal exposed sensitive medical records of more than 120,000 patients, while the attack on SimonMed Imaging compromised over a million records and led to ransomware demands. These cases show that both telemedicine platforms and the broader digital healthcare ecosystems are increasingly targeted by attackers.

In parallel, scam campaigns focusing on medical topics are evolving, inviting patients for check-ups or follow-up consultations. Often the domains of the alleged “medical services” websites were created just a few weeks ago, links to the social media accounts on their pages are not working, and the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy pages are absent.

At the same time, these pages request users’ personal information, including photos of documents and even photos of parts of the body that need medical attention. Such websites often try to convince users with branding, fake doctor profiles, and urgent calls to action.

Users risk submitting sensitive personal data that can be either sold on the dark web, be used for identity theft, or subsequently used in more sophisticated attacks in the future that are targeted specifically at them for further data extortion.

To safeguard sensitive data, use a reliable security solution with an AI-powered anti-phishing component which prevents clicking on malicious links.

“The digital healthcare experience is transforming access to care, but it is also expanding the attack surface in ways many users underestimate. Medical data is highly valuable and actively traded on the dark web, making patients a prime target for fraud and targeted phishing.

“At the same time, health-related scams exploit urgency and trust, using fake consultations or discounted offers to trick users into sharing sensitive information. Patients should approach digital healthcare with the same caution as financial services – verifying providers, avoiding unsolicited links, and understanding how their data is used. Security and privacy must become a core part of the digital healthcare experience,” comments Anna Larkina, Web Content and Privacy Analysis Expert at Kaspersky.


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