For millions of children, the internet is now an extension of everyday life. It is where they learn, discover, create, play and stay connected with friends and family. But the same digital spaces that open up opportunities can also expose children to grooming, bullying, sexual exploitation, abuse and other forms of harm.
This is the paradox of childhood in the digital age: the more connected children become, the more important it is to ensure that they are protected in the spaces where they spend their time.
The question, therefore, is how we can make their online experience safer, while ensuring that safety does not come at the cost of their access to learning, information and opportunity.
What do the statistics tell us?
National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2024 report offers a sobering indication of the challenge. As many as 1,753 cyber crime cases against children were registered in 2024, of which, 1,099 cases (nearly 63 per cent) are related to hosting or publishing cyber pornography / Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) which is a whopping 157-fold increase from 2017 to 2024.
These numbers underscore an increasingly complex environment in which technology can amplify the reach, speed and persistence of harm. The state-wise cyber crime figures also show how widespread the challenge is. Chhattisgarh recorded the highest number of cases nationally in 2024 at 274, followed by Rajasthan (197), Uttar Pradesh (186), Kerala (166) and Maharashtra (161). Together, these five states account for 984 of India's 1,753 cases in 2024 – 56 per cent of the national total – with Chhattisgarh alone responsible for roughly 1 in every 6 to 7 cases nationally.
Delhi dominates the city-wise picture – among India's metropolitan cities, Delhi City alone registered 151 cases in 2024 – more than six times the combined total of the next four cities (Bengaluru, Jaipur, Indore and Hyderabad).
Statistically, cyber crime is a small but rapidly growing segment of all crimes against children – nationally, it accounted for less than one per cent of all crimes against children in 2024, but this share is far higher in some of the states, reaching 3.9 per cent in Chhattisgarh and peaking at 7.5 per cent in Kerala in 2023.
But numbers alone cannot capture the nature of online harm. Unlike many forms of physical crime, digital abuse can follow a child long after the original incident. An image can be copied, shared and reshared; a threatening message can be revisited; a humiliating incident can reach an audience far beyond the child's immediate social circle – thereby leaving a deep imprint of the experience of harm in young minds long after the crime has been committed.
Research comparing the impact of cyber and traditional forms of crime reinforces this concern. A 2025 study of 910 crime victims found that the impact of cyber crime was, in many instances, comparable to or greater than that of traditional crime. The study also found greater damage to self-image among victims of cyber sexual crimes.
Longer exposure does not necessarily mean higher vulnerability
Much of the public conversation around children's digital lives has focused on screen time. How long should a child be online? At what age should they get a smartphone? How much access should parents allow? These are important questions. But they are only part of the conversation.
A child can spend relatively little time online and still encounter harmful content, be contacted by a stranger, become the target of cyberbullying or be manipulated into sharing personal or intimate material. Conversely, a child spending considerable time online may be relatively safe when they have the knowledge, confidence and support to navigate the digital environment.
The more difficult question, therefore, is not simply how much time children spend online, but what they encounter, whom they interact with, and whether they know where to turn when something feels wrong. This is where awareness becomes critical.
Children need to understand what constitutes inappropriate or unsafe behaviour online. They need to know that they can say no, block or report someone, seek help and speak to a trusted adult without fear of blame or punishment. Parents and caregivers, meanwhile, need to move beyond surveillance and restriction towards open, age-appropriate and non-judgmental conversations.
India is strengthening its response
India's legal and policy framework has also significantly evolved in response to the changing nature of online harm.
In 2024, the Supreme Court, while dealing with child sexual exploitation and abuse material, directed that courts should use the term 'child sexual exploitation and abuse material' (CSEAM) rather than 'child pornography'. The judgment also examined the legal implications of possessing, storing and transmitting such material, underscoring the seriousness of conduct that facilitates the sexual exploitation of children.
More recently, the Karnataka High Court reiterated that storing sexually exploitative material involving children can attract liability under Section 15 of the POCSO Act and the Information Technology Act, even where the material has not actually been transmitted.
The courts have also recognised that children's right to safety must extend beyond physical spaces. In 2025, the Delhi High Court, while dealing with a cyberbullying-related POCSO case, emphasised the need for safe digital spaces for children and noted that cyberbullying can have consequences comparable to physical violence.
The policy response is evolving too. The Government of India has significantly overhauled its digital regulatory framework by introducing the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2026. Notified by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on February 10, 2026, and made effective on February 20, 2026, these rules legally define Synthetically Generated Information (SGI) such as AI-generated deepfakes and enforce unprecedentedly strict compliance and takedown windows for digital platforms. These are important steps. But legislation and regulation, by themselves, cannot make the digital world safe for children.
From reaction to prevention
The next phase of response must therefore place greater emphasis on prevention. That means building digital safety awareness into children's everyday lives as an ongoing conversation at home, in schools and across communities.
It means helping parents understand that keeping children safe online is not synonymous with checking every message or restricting every device; equipping teachers and frontline workers to recognise signs of distress and respond appropriately; making reporting mechanisms easier for children to understand and use. And, it also means holding platforms accountable for designing safer digital environments in the first place.
But most importantly, it must be about bringing children to the centre of this conversation. Policies designed for children are unlikely to be effective if they are designed without listening to children. Their experiences can tell us where safeguards work, where they fail and where new risks are emerging. An effective child-safety framework must therefore combine technology, law, awareness, accountability and empathy.
A safer digital childhood is a shared responsibility
The challenge ahead is not to keep children away from technology. The real task is to create an environment in which children can use technology safely and confidently, with appropriate safeguards, informed adults, responsive institutions and accountable platforms around them.
Ensuring the online safety of children, therefore, is a collective process where, along with the government, the parents, the family and community members, teachers and the school authority, technology companies, and the civil society organisations – all have a role to play. And children themselves must not be treated merely as passive recipients of protection. They must be empowered with knowledge, confidence and agency.
The measure of technological progress should not simply be faster internet, smarter devices or more powerful artificial intelligence. It should also be whether children can use these advances to learn, connect, create and explore without living in fear of what may be waiting on the other side of the screen.
(The author is the CEO, CRY - Child Rights and You)
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of THE WEEK.
