Nigerian technology and cybersecurity expert Aderonke Akinbola has proposed a digital guardian that could help protect children from unhealthy emotional dependence, harmful chatbot interactions and unnecessary disclosure of personal information.

The proposed system would sit between children and compatible AI applications, combining privacy controls, interaction monitoring and explanations that younger users can understand.

Akinbola, a Technical Program Manager at Google with a background in network infrastructure and security engineering, outlined the concept during the April 21, 2026, episode of The Digital Project Manager podcast, hosted by Galen Low.

Her proposal addresses concerns emerging as AI companions become part of teenagers’ lives. A July 2025 Common Sense Media report found that 72 per cent of surveyed American teenagers aged 13 to 17 had used AI companions, while 52 per cent interacted with them at least a few times a month. The findings came from a nationally representative survey of 1,060 teenagers.

Akinbola described three complementary functions. An “emotional thermostat” could identify interaction patterns suggesting excessive attachment and encourage children to take a break, spend time with friends or speak to a trusted adult.

A “digital lawyer” would help manage privacy permissions, communicating with participating applications to limit unnecessary data collection, request safer storage arrangements and restrict interactions that did not meet agreed protections.

An “air traffic controller” would organise complicated AI responses into explanations children could follow, supporting comprehension and independent thinking.

The concept builds on Akinbola’s public work on AI security. She presented Guardians of the Next Generation: Securing AI Agents in Child-Centric Ecosystems at the AI Agent Security Summit in San Francisco on October 8, 2025.

Organised by cybersecurity company Zenity, the summit brought together specialists examining vulnerabilities, data access and governance risks in AI agents. Akinbola was one of six lightning-talk speakers in a programme shaped by more than 100 community submissions.

Her professional experience includes coordinating complex infrastructure programmes at Google and security engineering at Apple. She also featured on the August 2025 AI Risk Summit programme, addressing AI system failures, sensitive data protection and ethical risks.

Technology companies have been revising safeguards for younger users. In August 2025, Reuters reported that Meta was introducing restrictions on inappropriate chatbot exchanges with teenagers. Character.AI announced in October 2025 that it would remove open-ended AI chat for users under 18, with the rollout beginning the following month.

UNICEF’s updated guidance on AI and children, published in December 2025, called for safety, privacy, explainability and support for children’s development and well-being.

Akinbola presented the guardian as a design concept for future development. She called for cooperation between technology companies and government to advance protections for young users.

She also argued that access to protective features should not depend on whether a family could afford premium AI services. “Protection should not be a luxury,” she said.