Schoolkids most vulnerable to online bullying in India: Survey

The findings shows that over 35% children have experienced their account being hacked

With the emergence of cyber-bullying as one of the major threats online, school-going children were found to be extremely vulnerable to account hacking or receiving inappropriate messages in India, a survey revealed on Monday.

The Telenor India WebWise survey by Norwegian telecom giant Telenor analysed internet usage and access patterns of children across schools in 13 cities, involving 2,727 students.

The findings showed that over 35% children have experienced their account being hacked while 15.74% shared that they have received inappropriate messages.

When bullied online 15% complained, whereas 10.41% faced humiliation through picture/video that were uploaded on internet.

While majority of the children were willing to approach their parents in case they experience any cyber harm, over 76% children were not aware of Child Helpline 1098.

"While the survey highlighted the vulnerabilities and cyber threats, it presented with insights that can help create focused awareness campaigns around safe internet practices," Sharad Mehrotra, chief executive officer, Telenor India Communications, said in a statement.

In addition, social media giant Facebook emerged as the most favourite platform for school-going children, followed by WhatsApp, Twitter and Instagram.

The survey revealed that in urban areas, 98.8% of the schoolkids access internet to find information for school projects, playing games, reading online books, listening to music and watching movies, social networking sites and email, etc.