Prioritising safety

Technology is growing at a great pace — the Internet which was once a luxury is now something which is available in almost every household in one form or the other. Gone are those days when mobile phones used to be heavy with tiny displays; instead today a smartphone with numerous features is available to suit every budget. The mobile data pack which was earlier available at a higher cost is now available at a much cheaper amount with a comparatively higher speed. Thanks to the Internet, we can connect with the world with ease; there is no need to travel for hours to attend a meeting when it can be scheduled online from the comfort of your home. From smartphones to television sets, watches, bulbs, and even cameras and cars are connected to the Internet. With ease, we can handle them all.

Due to the pandemic, most of the offices moved online, the education sector was not far behind in joining the race to start with online classes and providing educational material on the Internet and chat platforms to the students including the school kids. Once, mobile was prohibited inside the school campus but now the classes came on smartphones, tablets and laptops. All this has resulted in the increased screen time of the kids. The children have their hands better on smart devices than on conventional tools. Though it is an achievement of technology, at the same time it has brought various challenges and serious issues of concern.

Cause of concern

Is ease of access to the Internet for the younger generation a worrying prospect? The question is an area which is less discussed and leaves with it an issue which is one of the biggest areas of concern, especially on the effects it has on the minds of the younger generation. Another area of concern with unrestricted access to the Internet is, the content available on various platforms which showcase pornography, violence, insults, annoyance and how it is affecting the mindset of the children.

There are various instances where the children have been seen behaving like adults, they are attaining maturity at a much younger age. They are having anger issues and behavioural changes which might be due to the unrestricted access to the contents showcasing such things. Various chat and video-sharing platforms have content which is not suitable for the younger generation; some of which also show the youth indulging in fights, road rages, adult content and so on.

Social media platforms which were once for the sharing of pictures and videos are now being widely used for the sharing inappropriate videos, and content having false information which does have an adverse effect on society at large. It is said, minors learn from what they see, today minors are watching this content and as a result, there is an increase in the number of cases where the acts allegedly have been repeated from what has been seen online. It is not only the minors, even mature people have started having behavioural changes due to longer screentime. Conversations at home have been replaced by messages, and the laughter at home has been replaced by emojis in chat groups.

Safeguarding them

It is important to find solutions for securing the younger generations from any cage of the Internet. The older generation is also not completely secure from cyber frauds and cyber-crimes, hence there is an urgent need to find ways to prevent the younger ones. Some of the recommendations are:

⁕ Keeping a tab on the use of the Internet by the children. The parents should keep checking what content has been watched by kids. Today, even though kids below the age of 10 years use mobile phones, it is important that their activity is monitored and checked. There have been instances where minors have used the Internet to order foods, and other products and landed into a scam thereby resulting in financial loss.

⁕ The games involving violence or tasks should be either completely removed or should be available with limited access so that the kids do not fall prey to such content and are not bullied or made to do tasks not suitable for their age.

⁕ If the children are behaving inappropriately or seeming to be depressed or showing any strange behaviour, they should be immediately consulted with the doctor.

⁕ If the children have fallen prey to any cybercrimes, an immediate complaint should be made to the Police station and National Helpline number, 1930. The Law enforcement agencies are for our help and rescue, they should be informed at the first stance and not at the last.

⁕ The screen time for watching content online should be minimised and for minors, it should be regulated. Any obscene, mature content which is available on any social media platform accessible to kids should be immediately reported to the platform and the Government.

In the present scenario, it would not be wise to say that the online activity of kids and the younger generation should be completely restricted. Since even the classes are being conducted online, where the teacher and the student are at distinct locations and still able to connect, it would be impossible to shift back completely to the conventional era. But at the same time, there should be checks and balances on what is available for everyone to watch. It is true to say, everything is available online but not everything which is available online is relevant. There are various cases which are heard where the kids have been the target of cybercrimes, harassment, sharing their inappropriate pictures etc. Sometimes they do not report falling prey to these crimes out of fear of family and society but it is for the guardian to make sure that they are so accessible to their wards that such instances are reported to them. Anything which is inappropriately found online should be immediately reported to the platform on which it is showcased. It is high time that there should be completely stringent laws to regulate web series, online short videos and any other content shared online which might have an adverse effect on individuals.

The writer is a Post Graduate in Law (LL.M.) from NLSIU, Bangalore. Views expressed are personal