Digital Danger: Karnataka Study Reveals Alarming Rise in Online Child Exploitation and Abuse
Bengaluru, June 14, 2025 – A recent study has sounded a distressing alarm over the widespread exposure of children to online abuse, exploitation, bullying, and manipulative online relationships in Karnataka. The findings, presented at a state-level consultation on child safety held in Bengaluru, highlight the perilous digital environments in which young users are navigating and the urgent need for systemic reforms.
The report, jointly published by the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) and ChildFund India, examined the online risks faced by children in five districts of Karnataka. The research covered 900 children aged between 8 and 18 years, surveyed from December 2024 to March 2025, and painted a grim picture of the online threats children face daily, often with little adult support or institutional recourse.
Students Speak Out: “We Need Counsellors in Schools”
One of the most poignant moments of the event came from a Class 10 student from Mysuru, who courageously voiced the silent suffering of many:
"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."
This raw testimony underscored a core issue revealed by the study: children are afraid to speak up about online abuse due to shame, stigma, or fear of punishment.
Several child rights activists and educators echoed the call for mental health professionals and trained counsellors in schools to be present at the consultation. The need for psychological support systems is particularly urgent given the sensitive and often traumatic nature of online sexual exploitation and blackmail.
Key Findings from the Study
The survey uncovered deeply troubling statistics:
- Thirty-one children admitted to meeting strangers in real life after initially interacting online, often under the guise of friendship.
- Forty-four students reported experiencing online sexual exploitation or abuse. Among these:
- 19 were bullied,
- 18 were sexually coerced,
- 22 had their social media accounts deleted by parents,
- And only 15 cases were reported to law enforcement.
This highlights a significant gap in reporting and intervention, likely due to a combination of a lack of awareness, parental fear, and systemic inadequacies.
Additionally, 80% of the parents interviewed believe that the police need to respond more swiftly and thoughtfully to cases involving coercion or exploitation of children online.
Systemic Gaps: Child-Friendly Stations Remain on Paper
Despite having structures like Special Juvenile Police Units (SJPUs) and established Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for dealing with child abuse cases, implementation on the ground appears minimal.
A senior police officer admitted during the consultation that “child-friendly stations exist only on paper.”
Although helplines like 1930 are in place, there’s a lack of cross-departmental awareness campaigns to ensure these tools reach the right audience—children, parents, and educators.
The systemic failure to provide accessible, safe, and responsive spaces for children to report abuse was a recurring concern. Panelists emphasized that law enforcement, education departments, and social welfare institutions must work more closely together to safeguard children in the digital age.
What Stakeholders Are Proposing
To combat the rising tide of online child exploitation, stakeholders from multiple departments and agencies offered a wide array of suggestions:
- Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti urged police to publicly share data on POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) cases and details of actions taken. Transparency, he said, is essential for building trust and ensuring accountability.
- Education department officials proposed an innovative approach: printing digital safety tips and remedial measures on the covers of school textbooks. This would ensure consistent visibility of essential information for both students and parents.
- Representatives from the IT-BT department called for stricter regulation of apps and bans on platforms linked to abuse cases, along with state-sponsored awareness campaigns through widely accessible public media channels, such as Doordarshan.
- An official from the Department of Science and Technology suggested leveraging high-profile conferences, such as those on quantum computing, to include parallel sessions on cyber safety and child protection, thereby expanding awareness even in academic and professional circles.
Parents Demand Stronger Digital Safety Framework
At the core of this crisis lies the unchecked and unregulated nature of children's digital exposure. Parents, overwhelmed and often unprepared for the digital risks their children face, are demanding more robust frameworks to regulate children's access to online platforms.
Many parents expressed frustration over the lack of control and knowledge about their children's digital interactions, urging the implementation of mandatory digital literacy programs in schools that target both students and parents. They also called for collaboration between schools and cybercrime cells to provide regular training and immediate response systems.
Conclusion: Time for Urgent, Unified Action
The study and its findings serve as a wake-up call. With children spending increasing amounts of time online for education, entertainment, and social interaction, the threat landscape has evolved—and so must our protective systems.
To improve the responsiveness of law enforcement, implement school-based counseling, enhance digital literacy, and regulate harmful content, a comprehensive, multi-pronged approach is necessary.
Karnataka has taken a step forward by acknowledging the problem. But acknowledgement alone is not enough. With lives, dignity, and futures at stake, the time for policy-level inaction is long past. What’s needed now is swift, transparent, and collective action to safeguard every child’s right to a safe and abuse-free digital experience.
