Hyderabad: There is a growing perception that children are being endangered in cyberspace, that the unhindered access to the net often leads to them being subjected to abuse and bullying and that living in an alternative reality often makes them misfits in the real world.
Recently a 14-year old girl was being harassed by a 21-year-old person whom she met through an online game. Later he was arrested by the Hyderabad cyber crime police. There are also instances of people meeting in several social media apps and being harassed and cheated.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Mr K.V.M. Prasad, ACP Cyber Crimes, Hyderabad, said, “Teenagers should refrain from talking to unknown persons on social media platforms or online games. If they are being blackmailed, harassed or bullied they should inform their parents. Usually they are scared to do so as parents might find blame them but they should still inform their parents so that issue can be addressed.”
He said victims might experience huge psychological stress which can make them do something desperate. Abusers may blackmail their victims and sexually exploit them.
Mr Prasad advises parents not to give mobiles, especially smartphones, to children during night time “as many of them spend time on the internet at night as they are busy with school in the day. A mobile should be seen as only a communication tool.”
Parents should visit the children's bedroom at night to see whether they are using a mobile phone, he said.
Mr Anil Rachamalla, founder of End Now Foundation, which works for digital safety, suggesting ways children can deal with harassment and bullying online, said, “Art is one way to escape from this.”
He advises parents not to block all access to technology. “Help children use it safely and positively. Set boundaries and consider using filtering software. Help them filter information online and distinguish fact from fiction. Avoid using devi-ces as rewards or punishments and focus on developmental needs.”
Dr Preethi Swaroop, senior psychiatrist, said it’s not healthy to spend too much time online or on screen. “Some of the issues they might experience are conduct disorders like substance abuse and personality disorders, depression and in extreme cases, suicide.”
Curb social media for kids: Survey
Seventy-three per cent of Indians do not want children to have any access to social media till the age of 15 years, according to a survey conducted by Local-Circles, a social media platform, which rece-ived responses from 23,000 respondents.
The respondents stated that social media platforms and apps must be subject to strict accountability and enforcement. They also want them to take the responsibility for the content.
“Many social media apps have exposed children to adult and pornographic content, while cases of teenagers losing their lives while trying to create content for these apps have also been reported from different parts of the country,” said Akshys Kumar, general manager of LocaCircles.
Going by the survey 82 per cent of citizens who participated said that the government and schools should define an age under which children cannot have a social media account. 14 per cent thought otherwise.
Ten per cent said there should be a minimum age for children to have a social media account. 18 per cent said it should be 13 years, 35 per cent said it should be 15 years while 38 per cent said it should be 18 years. nine per cent said social media access for children should not be regulated.
Mr Kumar said the government and stakeholders should work together to regulate social media access by children. India has a large number of children between the ages of 10 and 15, who are eager to get on to social media and even fake their age to sign up on many such apps.
