Keeping children safe online: law and practical steps

Children today learn, play and make friends online. The same phone that helps with homework can also bring a stranger's messages, bullying in a class group, or a game that drains a parent's bank account. Most children will not tell an adult when something goes wrong, because they fear losing the phone or being blamed.

The law gives children strong protection. But safety starts at home, with adults who know the risks and children who know they can speak up.

The risks to watch for

• Grooming: an adult builds trust with a child online, often pretending to be a young person, in order to sexually exploit them.
• Sextortion: a child is tricked into sharing an intimate image and then threatened with its release.
• Cyberbullying: repeated insults, threats, humiliation or exclusion through chats, posts or fake profiles.
• Fraud and gaming traps: in-game purchases, fake prizes and requests for OTPs or a parent's card details.
• Harmful content: violent or sexual material, and content promoting self-harm or dangerous challenges.
• Data collection: apps that track a child's location, contacts and behaviour.

What the law says

The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO) applies to every person below 18. It covers offences committed online as much as offline:

• Showing a child pornography, or repeatedly following, watching or contacting a child through electronic means with sexual intent, is sexual harassment Sec 11 POCSO.
• Using a child for pornographic purposes is a grave offence Sec 13–14 POCSO, and storing or possessing child sexual abuse material is also punishable Sec 15 POCSO.
• Publishing, browsing, downloading or sharing sexually explicit material involving children, and enticing children into online relationships for sexual acts, is punishable Sec 67B IT Act.

In Just Rights for Children Alliance v. S. Harish (2024), the Supreme Court made clear that merely watching or keeping such material, without deleting or reporting it, can be an offence.

The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 treats everyone under 18 as a child. Once its main provisions apply (from May 2027 under the current timetable), apps and websites will need verifiable parental consent to process a child's data and must not track children's behaviour or target advertising at them Sec 9 DPDP Act.

Duty to report

Under POCSO, any person who knows or suspects that a sexual offence against a child has happened must report it to the police or the Special Juvenile Police Unit Sec 19 POCSO. Failing to report is itself an offence. This applies to parents, teachers, school managements and hospitals. The child's identity must never be disclosed in the media.

Practical steps for parents and teachers

1. Talk early and often. Explain that no one online should ask for photos, secrets or meetings, and that the child will not be punished for telling you.
2. Use the settings. Turn on parental controls and child accounts, set profiles to private, switch off location sharing, and require approval for app downloads and purchases.
3. Keep devices in shared spaces for younger children, and agree on screen-time rules together.
4. Protect money. Do not save card details on a child's device. Teach them never to share an OTP.
5. Know the friends. Ask about the people they chat or play with, the way you would about friends at school.
6. Address bullying at school. Schools should have anti-bullying measures. Report online bullying among students to the school in writing, and keep a copy of what you sent.
7. Set an example. Avoid posting children's photos, school names or locations publicly yourself.

If something goes wrong

• Save evidence: screenshots of messages, profile names, links, dates and times.
• Call 1098, the national child helpline, for immediate help and support.
• Report cyber crimes to 1930 or the national cyber crime reporting portal, which has a section for crimes against children.
• For immediate danger, call 112.
• Ask the platform to remove the content. Tools such as Take It Down help remove sexual images taken when the person was under 18.
• For free legal help with a case, contact NALSA at 15100 or your District Legal Services Authority.

Why it matters

Childhood is a time to explore safely. When a child is exploited or humiliated online, the damage can follow them for years. The Constitution directs the State to ensure that children grow up in freedom and dignity and are protected against exploitation Art 39(f), and POCSO puts the child's best interest at the centre of every step.

Laws alone cannot keep children safe. What protects them most is an adult they trust. When children know they will be heard rather than blamed, abusers lose their most powerful weapon, which is silence.