A recent survey by tech giant Intel has revealed that “almost half” of Indian children in the age group of 8-16 admit that they have, or are willing to meet strangers they first interacted with online. The survey, which polled over 8,000 tweens and preteens from all over the world (over 1,000 of them from India) and 9,000 parents (again, 1,000+ from India), found that 77 per cent of the children surveyed had an account on Facebook before they were 13, while a sizeable 61 per cent have shared photos on public platforms as well. More alarming facts released by the survey were that close to half of India’s children have shared personal details ranging from residential and school addresses to phone numbers and email IDs on their accounts as well. However, while exposure to the online world among children has continued to grow exponentially, it’s not all bad news as the survey further revealed that a good 81 per cent of the children surveyed also were aware or were concerned about privacy issues. We spoke to teens in the city to find out how cautious they were about using social media and what security precautions they employed. Among them was 15-year-old Dhvani Thakkar, who is active on Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram. Unlike her peers, Dhvani told us that she isn’t online “continuously” but only “browses to check for updates”. Further, she said that she has never shared her phone number online, although she has shared her email address. Photos of a personal nature are shared only with friends online. As for how she ensures her social media accounts are secure, Dhvani said, “My account on Instagram is not private, but I ensure that I keep checking my followers and block all the suspicious looking profiles. My Snapchat is reserved only for my friends. I accept requests only from mutual friends and do not entertain random people. At times, there are people who message me on Facebook and their messages go into the ‘Other’ folder — I block them too.” Dhvani’s father and older sister are both active online, and part of her social media accounts. It was her parents’ warning about being careful with what she posts online that has made Dhvani cautious. “I’m usually very cautious about the kind of stuff I post online, since my parents have warned me about profiles being accessible to all,” Dhavi explained.
Srinjoy Podar, 17, from Kolkatta, is an active Facebook user. While he browses it “throughout the day”, he ensures that his privacy settings are always well-maintained. And while he loves posting pictures online, he ensures the content passes muster with his parents. “My family members are a part of my social media accounts, but I don’t not fear them. Instead, I make sure that the stuff I post is decent and does not hurt their sentiments in any way. And when accepting friend requests on Facebook, I ensure we share at least two or more mutual friends,” he said.
The teens we spoke to had all been warned about the perils of careless social media use by their parents, with the dangers of hacking, cybertheft, pictures being misused etc being well laid out. This was in keeping with the findings of the Intel survey as well, with 86 per cent of the children saying that they had discussions with their parents about the risks of social media use. The topics that were mostly discussed were online privacy (76 per cent), cyber crime and identity theft (61 per cent), cyber-bullying (59 per cent) or popularity among friends (46 per cent).
Akshara Mulchandani, 17, told us that she doesn’t post too many pictures online and keeps her Instagram account private because her parents had warned her about how her images could be misused. “I use Facebook and Instagram regularly. I had a Twitter account as well but deactivated it later. I spend about one-and-half hours each day on these platforms approximately. I make sure I don’t post many pictures online and my Instagram account is private. My parents had cautioned me about pictures being siphoned off online by frauds and I’m careful about this. There are no strangers on my Facebook account and there are only people whom I know. I refrain from posting solo pictures but my friends generally tag me in their posts. I usually post group photos and photos of our school functions,” she said. Similarly, 16-year-old Arya John explained that she doesn’t post too many selfies or photos of herself as this makes her ncomfortable. “So I mostly share photos of places I visit or something random like a picture of a dog. I am aware — rather afraid — of what might happen if my photos fall into the wrong hands,” Arya said. “Similarly, I also do not accept requests from strangers or give them details, even something like an email id, about myself.”
With the Intel survey also stating that 86 per cent of parents were worried about their child’s “online reputation” and how it would impact their future (like entry into good colleges etc), we reached out to 45-year-old Mudit Bhatnagar, a soccer coach from Gurgaon, who has two daughters, aged nine and 14. Mudit told us that while the girls have their Google accounts, he and his wife have the passwords for the same, and that if the girls want to view anything on Facebook, they do it through his account.
“There is much more to learn and explore at this age than while away time on inappropriate stuff. There is no particular time to get active on such mediums but a right understanding is definitely required,” said Mudit, adding, “I prefer to keep my daughters occupied with other extra-curricular activities.”
Inputs by Julie Sam, Arun Venkatraman
