Karnataka parents raise alarm over rampant online child exposure & abuse
Bengaluru: Unchecked and unregulated online exposure has put the lives of children at peril, with online abuse, exploitation, bullying and forging forced online friendships emerging as tools of blackmailing children into submission.
These were some of the takeaways from a study report launched by Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights and child-focused development organisation ChildFund India, which examined online risks faced by children in five districts of Karnataka.
At a state-level consultation on child safety here Friday, a class 10 student from Mysuru said, "We can't tell our friends or parents when morphed videos are used to blackmail us because of the stigma.
We need counsellors in schools."
The study, covering 900 children aged 8 to 18 years and conducted from Dec 2024 to March 2025, revealed alarming trends. For instance, 80% of parents interviewed said police must respond more promptly to cases of online abuse, especially when it involves coercion or exploitation. Among the children surveyed, 31 said they met online strangers in person, several connected with people online in the hope of forming friendships.
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In cases of online sexual exploitation and abuse, the report found that 19 of 44 affected students were bullied, 18 were sexually coerced, and in 22 cases, parents responded by deleting social media accounts. However, only 15 informed law-enforcement authorities.
Despite existing structures such as special juvenile police units (SJPUs), stakeholders at the discussion admitted that child-friendly stations remain on paper.
Child-friendly stations have not been implemented, said a police officer, adding, "There are SOPs in place and helplines like 1930, but awareness has to come from other departments too."
Legislative council chairman Basavaraj Horatti asked police personnel to share with the public the Pocso case data and action taken. Education department officials proposed printing remedial measures on textbook covers, while IT-BT officials called for app bans and awareness campaigns through state media like Doordarshan.
One official from the science and technology department said even conferences on topics like quantum computing that the govt hosts could be used to spread awareness about cybercrimes affecting children.
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