Teach schoolchildren about social media risks, says Bengal child rights body

The move comes in the wake of increased use of digital platforms by children and a spike in online child abuse cases, a top official said

PTI, Darjeeling, 29.06.24: The West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights (WBCPCR) has decided to recommend age-appropriate digital literacy in schools to make students aware of the risks involved in using social media platforms.

The move comes in the wake of increased use of digital platforms by children and a spike in online child abuse cases, a top official said.

It is necessary to make children aware of the pitfall of careless sharing of personal information and photos on the internet by making it a part of school curriculum, WBCPCR Chairperson Tulika Das said.

"Children are becoming vulnerable and many incidents of child trafficking, child marriage, child abuse and child pornography have been happening after traffickers take to the internet to dupe them,” Das said on the sidelines of a programme to observe 'State Child Protection Day' in collaboration with UNICEF here on Friday.

"The traffickers and other unscrupulous persons use fake identities on social media platforms to lure children into their traps," she said, according to a UNICEF release.

A growing number of child abuse cases were tracked to have roots in careless sharing of personal data on social media, it said.

"We will recommend digital literacy to be included in the school curriculum and taught in a child-friendly way to safeguard them when they study or play or make friends on the internet," the WBCPCR chairperson said.

To curb this growing menace, the commission released anti-trafficking posters, audio messages and music videos during the programme.

Chief of UNICEF in West Bengal, Prabhat Kumar, urged people to be careful when working on the internet.

"You must think before posting, sharing and accepting any picture, information or data on the internet. Always inform your friends or relatives or police or authorities when you find someone being a victim of cyber bullying," he said.