Child online protection in Indian context

Abstract

It is an undisputed fact that the Internet has brought untold benefits to children around the world. The Internet has, however, also brought with it a number of unintended, unforeseen and unwanted consequences targeted at children who are exposed to the associated risks. Some of these are of particular concern to the safety of children and young people who are developmentally incapable of handling them. While the online risks match those existing in the offline world, they may be more complex to manage and may be potentially more damaging due to the generational digital divide? and the nature of the internet its anonymity and ubiquity. Due to the multi-dimensional nature of the possibilities and services the internet offers, the types of risks are also multi-faceted. The types of risks that a child can be exposed to depend on place, mode of access, time spent online, frequency of use and what the child is doing on the net - nature of use. Hence, to understand the risks, it is necessary to have a clear picture of children s online behaviour and their perception and views about internet. Also the internet usage and associated online risks are context dependent. In India, the number of internet users is increasing rapidly as it is in the rest of the world. Though the internet penetration is low and users in India are mainly restricted to the urban rich and middle class, the incidents reported now and then in the news indicate the vulnerability of Indian children to the online risks. This study examines the online behaviour of children, the children s competencies related to the internet and experiences on the internet including exposure to some online risks and the involvement of the stakeholders - children, parents and educators in Indian context by surveying some school students in the city of Bangalore and Jabalpur. The study concentrates on four types of online risks two Content Risks of exposure to sexual images, exposure to violent images and two Contact Risks' of Online Bullying and Contact with Strangers. The study shows that going online has become a part of children s lives and exposure of children to online risks and associated harm is real in Indian context. Another aspect of online behaviour and risks is that whether the children s? behaviour and exposure to risks differs across genders is also studied which shows that there is so significant difference across genders in respect of these. The Child Online Protection policies in two countries namely USA and South Korea are also studied and lessons for India have been arrived at.