The Stranger No Longer Needs Your Address: CEI 2.0 Warns of New Digital Threats to Children

• Oct 23, 2026

The traditional warning to children to “stay away from strangers” is no longer enough in an increasingly connected world, as strangers can now gain access to young people without ever knowing their home address or physically approaching their homes.

This was the central message at the grand finale and award ceremony of the Cybersmart Educators Initiative (CEI) 2.0, held today at Afe Babalola Hall, University of Lagos, with stakeholders warning that digital platforms have fundamentally changed the way children are exposed to strangers, cyber threats and online exploitation.

Organised by LEVI EDUTECH, the initiative was held under the theme, “The Stranger Doesn’t Need Your Address Anymore,” reflecting the growing concern over the risks children face through smartphones, social media, gaming platforms and other digital spaces.

CEI 2.0 is designed to equip schools, educators and learners from primary to tertiary levels, as well as organisations and communities, with the skills, awareness and digital ethics required to remain secure, responsible and innovative in an evolving digital landscape.

Speaking at the event, Mrs. Adesola-Zion Naomi, Head of Operations, LEVI EDUTECH, said the definition of a stranger has changed significantly from what parents and children traditionally understood.

“When I was a child, our mothers told us, ‘Do not attend to strangers.’ They warned us not to talk to strangers. But that world is gone,” she said.

According to her, today's stranger does not need to stand outside the gate or knock on the door. Instead, the stranger can gain access to a child through a digital device.

“It needs your child's attention, and it allows it at 2 a.m. in the morning, in a house where everyone is sleeping and believes the child is safe,” she said.

She explained that online strangers can present themselves as friends, classmates, gaming partners or individuals offering opportunities, gifts or even emotional companionship.

“It comes as a friend, classmate, game, free recharge card, modelling contract, somebody who finally understands. It is patient. It offers very kind words and, before the parent notices anything at all, it has been talking to your child for the past three months,” she said.

Naomi stressed that CEI 2.0 was not established because educators had failed in their responsibilities, but because the environment in which children now learn, communicate and socialise has fundamentally changed.

“We did not build CEI 2.0 because teachers were failing. We built it because the ground moved under their feet,” she said.

Also speaking, Prof. Tunde Ope-Davies, Centre for Digital Humanities, University of Lagos, said technology had removed many of the physical barriers that once provided a measure of protection from strangers.

“A stranger who wanted to find you had to work hard, ask at the bus stop. Today, the stranger needs none of these. He does not need your street name. He does not need to ask your birthday because you announced it yourself,” he said.

Prof. Ope-Davies noted that people are increasingly opening access to their personal lives through their smartphones and digital platforms, often without fully appreciating the risks involved.

“We are the ones who opened the door to the stranger through our handsets and screens. Gone are the days where physical distance equals safety,” he said.

According to him, the digital environment has effectively dissolved geographical boundaries, bringing the wider world directly into classrooms, homes and the personal devices of children.

“The modern stranger no longer knocks on a physical door. They bypass that and go through a stream, infiltrating the digital spaces where our young people learn and grow. This reality redefines what it means to protect our entire community,” he added.

The cybersecurity dimension of the challenge was further highlighted by Mr. Olabode Agboola, President, Cybersecurity Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN), who drew attention to some of the everyday activities that can expose children and young people to cyber threats.

He identified phishing through gaming platforms, suspicious links, harmful social media content, cyberbullying and the careless sharing of personal information as some of the risks that require greater awareness.

Such behaviours, he noted, can expose devices to malware and create opportunities for cybercriminals to gain access to sensitive information.

Meanwhile, Prof. Olatunbosun Olabode, Dean, School of Computing, Federal University of Technology, Akure, emphasised the need for educators to become better equipped to address the realities of children's digital lives.

He noted that technology is now an unavoidable part of how young people learn, express themselves, maintain relationships and discover opportunities.

“Whatever they know about is the starting point,” he said, stressing that educators have an important role to play in helping students understand both the opportunities and risks associated with digital technology.

He also warned that online risks do not always come from people who immediately appear threatening.

“Risks can come from someone familiar, helpful, but getting into which might endanger you,” he said, advocating for greater emphasis on teaching students how to identify and respond appropriately to strangers in digital spaces.

“We should therefore teach our students the behaviour of strangers,” he added.

The conversations at the event underscored a broader shift in cybersecurity education: protecting children can no longer be limited to physical safety. It must extend to the digital environments where they spend significant portions of their time.

The CEI 2.0 grand finale also recognised outstanding participants with substantial financial rewards. The overall winner received ₦2 million, while the first runner-up received ₦1 million and the second runner-up received ₦500,000.

The awards generated excitement among participants and stakeholders, who expressed confidence in the initiative and its potential to strengthen cybersecurity awareness among educators and young people.

For LEVI EDUTECH, the message behind CEI 2.0 is both simple and urgent: the stranger may no longer need your address, but every child needs the knowledge to recognise who is at the other end of the screen.