10 Online Safety Rules Every Nigerian Parent Should Teach Their Child

Teaching kids online safety doesn't require technical expertise. It requires the same clear, repeated rules you'd use for road safety or stranger danger. Here are the ten we teach every Junior Explorer in their very first week.

• Never share your full name, school, or home address with someone you only know online.
• Passwords are secret: only parents get to know them, not friends, not online strangers.
• If a message or game asks for personal information to "claim a prize," it's almost always a trick.
• Never agree to meet an online friend in person without a parent present.
• If something online makes you feel scared or confused, stop and tell a trusted adult immediately. You won't be in trouble.
• Be as kind in comments and messages as you would be face to face.
• Don't click pop-ups or links from people or accounts you don't recognize.
• Ask a parent before downloading any new app or joining a new platform.
• Take breaks: the 20-20-20 rule (every 20 minutes, look 20 metres away for 20 seconds) protects your eyes.
• Remember that not everyone online is who they say they are.

How we teach this at VAA Heroes Academy

Our Typing & Online Safety course is built entirely around these principles, using real (age-appropriate) stories your child can relate to, not abstract warnings. By the end of the course, your child completes a project explaining the rules in their own words, which tends to stick far better than a lecture.

What to do if something goes wrong

If your child tells you something felt wrong online, the most important thing is your reaction: calm, not panicked, and focused on next steps rather than blame. Save any evidence (screenshots, usernames), and report the account on the platform it happened on.