Kolkata: Cops in schools to teach kids cyber risks, get 'hacking lessons' from teens
Times of India | 1 August 2024
City school workshops revealed students engaged in hacking. Authorities used real-life examples to educate about cyber risks and responsible internet use, emphasizing the difference between ethical and illegal activities to combat bullying and protect mental health.
A Class 6 student confesses to hacking a neighbour's Wi-Fi and using it regularly - because his mother disconnected their household Wi-Fi. When asked whether he knew his action was no different from ordinary theft, the boy seemed bemused. "Isn't hacking done by 'intelligent' people?," he asks.
A Class 11 student, a self-confessed "ethical hacker", claims to have hacked an online store to 'buy' things without spending a paisa. He refuses to see it as a crime.
These are just two examples - real-life ones - of interactions between "police uncles" and counsellors and students of reputable schools in the city held in the recent past. When cops and counsellors reached out to pre-teens and teens, through their schools, to teach them about cyber risks, they thought it would be a simple affair, with them doing most of the talking on how to avoid cyber threats.But they were taken aback. The kids were the ones doing most of the talking: numerous children were telling them of their questionable online "exploits", with several owning up to outright hacking.
Worryingly, the kids' stories were not in the nature of confessionals, but more like proud achievements.
With most youngsters unable to differentiate between "ethical hacking" and "illegal activity", the cops quickly upped their game, realising that the need of the hour was to explain to the kids the boundaries, crossing which could turn a "cyber act" into a "cyber crime". It was time to go beyond the basic dos and dont's of cyber behaviour and netiquette, which has so far been the usual practice at interactions with kids, using examples from real life.
'Constant connectivity may hit mental health'
In workshops at city schools, cops used real-life examples. "We told them how a class X boy shared obscene photographs of class XI and XII girls in school using AI. We found most students receptive to these examples," an officer told TOI.
"We stayed away from monologues. That helped us understand students' psychology and correct their ideas about the internet," said an officer. "The workshops, spread over two days, saw officers address girl students on basic cyber hygiene and new ways in which cyber crooks could target them. But it was also to share actual examples - often explaining that some of their own online activities could be a crime. That helped send the message across."
Cyber psychologist Kanchan Mullick said, "If children do not know where to draw the line, it can lead to online platforms being used as tools to bully and harass students." There needs to be an understanding on how internet and digital technology affect pre-teens' and teens' behaviour and mental states, he said, adding, "Constant connectivity and the expectation to always be available online and be followed as an icon, can affect mental health and work-life balance, often leading to digital overload and burnout."
Bivas Chatterjee, a cyber expert, said kids as young as 10 and 12 now account for a sizeable chunk of internet users. More than half of all internet users are college students. Constantly training young minds is therefore very important, he felt.