Parents squirm as sex scandal creeps into phones

Parents anxious about giving gadgets to children for online classes have a new cause for worry. Images and video fragments of a recent sex scandal that kicked up a political storm are popping up as top suggestions on social media.

Many have already dialled the Childline and filed complaints. The common demand is for the removal of such content from social media or a direction to the platforms to put photos, videos and audio files behind a wall.

While the posts by some media houses come with thumbnail screenshots of the video, there are users who upload content without blurring images.

Geetha M H (name changed), a parent, told DH, "I never thought this controversy would invade our space when I gave my phone to my 13-year-old daughter. While completing her worksheet, she googled something related to the syllabus and the video popped up."

The explosion of content surrounding sex scandals also causes embarrassment to many. "I hesitate to give my phone to kids as the controversy is among the top suggestions on many social media apps," said another parent, noting that it will be hard to keep a constant watch on the child's activity.

The parents said that they had not searched for news surrounding the scandal, but the content was ubiquitous on all platforms.

The Child Rights Trust has decided to approach the cyber crime police and the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR). "We have received several calls from parents. We are filing a complaint with the cybercrime police to remove such content from online platforms," Nagasimha G Rao, executive director of the trust, told DH.

"Parents have also complained against television channels, saying that even if the video is blurred, the audio is a major problem. They can't watch the news in the presence of kids now," said Rao.

Child rights activists have also decided to seek the intervention of KSCPCR and for a law to regulate the telecast of such videos in the interest of children.

Parents have raised the issue with schools too. D Shashi Kumar, general secretary of the Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka, said, "We had formally sought a separate law under the IT Act to regulate such content. We will file a complaint and a PIL in the high court for retraining the media from telecasting such news."