How safe is your child online? The Kerala case that exposes dark side of dating apps

Kochi: A 16-year-old boy from Kerala recently became the victim in a disturbing case that highlights the dangers of online dating apps.

Police charged 14 people, including government workers, with sexually assaulting the teenager. The group allegedly befriended the boy through the app before the attacks occurred.

As the investigation unfolded last month, it was discovered the teenager, who is now safe, had been using fake profiles to stay active on the platform for almost two years.

Tragically, this kind of predatory incident is not a rare occurrence, for the police. They report that such crimes are becoming increasingly common.

They say this falls squarely within the patterns they regularly encounter through their Digital De-addiction (D-DAD) programme, an initiative aimed at identifying and rehabilitating children hooked on online games, social media, and pornography.

Launched in 2023, the D-DAD project is the first of its kind in the country.

At present, there are six centres operating under it—in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kochi, Thrissur, Kozhikode, and Kannur. With encouraging responses from parents, schools, and child rights activists, the police now plan to expand the initiative to Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Palakkad, Malappuram, Wayanad, Idukki, and Kasaragod before the close of the 2025-26 financial year.

According to official data, between March 2023 and July 2025, D-DAD centres handled as many as 1,992 cases of digital addiction. Of these, 571 involved children addicted specifically to online games.

Sooraj Kumar M B, nodal officer of the Student Police Cadet (SPC) Project in Ernakulam and coordinator of the district’s D-DAD centre, said the initiative has provided timely intervention for hundreds of children.

"The trend we see is that boys are largely addicted to online games while girls are drawn more to social media platforms. Our counsellors suggest practical methods to overcome these habits and also engage parents in the process," he told PTI.

According to Sooraj, one of the project’s major successes has been in changing parental attitudes. “Earlier, many families refused to accept mobile phone use as an addiction, unlike alcohol or drugs. Now, with more cases being reported, parents are realising that digital addiction is real—and they want their children to come out of it".

The state government recently renewed contracts for counsellors at the centres, which had expired in July this year, and is in the process of appointing additional staff to meet rising demand.

Concerns over excessive mobile and internet use among children were also raised in the recent state Assembly session. Responding to a question by MLA K J Maxi, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan revealed that 41 children had committed suicide between January 2021 and September 9, 2025, due to misuse of mobile phones and the internet.

He also said that in the same period, 30 children were identified and faced legal action after being found involved in sexual or narcotics-related crimes linked to misuse of digital platforms.

Cyber law expert and Cyber Suraksha Foundation founder advocate Jiyas Jamal described the D-DAD programme as a model initiative that other states should emulate. But he warned that the growing misuse of dating apps by minors poses a serious challenge.

"Dating apps are gaining popularity among teenagers, even though they are meant strictly for adults over 18. Weak verification measures allow underage users to slip through, and these apps are fast becoming a hub for illegal activities and child exploitation," he said.

Jamal pointed out that many of these apps operate illegally from servers abroad and aggressively promote themselves through targeted advertisements on social media. "Platforms running these ads must also be held accountable. Just as the central government has brought in rules to regulate online gaming, similar stringent norms are needed for social media and dating apps," he said.

Jamal said that children often fall into traps set by people through these dating apps and are blackmailed for financial gains or forced into illegal activities. "I have received several cases where parents only realise the trap in which their children fell after losing money. Some exploit children for sexual acts such as pornography and the narcotics trade," he said.

Apart from the police, the Women and Child Development (WCD) Department and the Education Department are also running a set of programmes to help children and parents overcome digital addictions.

WCD officials said that the Our Responsibility to Children (ORC) initiative has been introduced in 1,227 schools across the state to conduct awareness programmes about issues faced by children including digital addiction among students.

In coordination with the Education Department, psycho-social counsellors have been appointed in 1,012 schools to provide professional support to children in need.

"Apart from this, we have also started parenting clinics at the block panchayat level. Another initiative, called Vulnerability Mapping, is being implemented in a panchayat in Thiruvananthapuram district to identify vulnerable children and take necessary steps,” a WCD officer said.