The real dangers in cyberspace - what parents & children should know...

1. tech talk
The ghost
that stalks
cyberspace
BY SHAIL RAGHUVANSHI
I
n 2006, Megan Meier, an insecure Though the Drews were not jailed, the TEENS: A VULNERABLE LOT
fourteen-year-old US schoolgirl, incident reveals how cyber harassment How do teens get involved in cyber
accepted a friend request on is more real than virtual. What is crimes? Na Vijayashankar, a cyber
MySpace from a sixteen-year-old more worrying about the unfortunate crime expert and author of Cyber Laws
handsome stranger named Josh Evans. incident is that such crimes are being for Every Netizen in India … ITA-
She exchanged messages with her committed by youngsters in India, not 2000 and Beyond, says “Teens are
‘cutest boyfriend’ who, when she asked necessarily restricted to metro cities, attracted to laptops and internet. Being
for his phone number, claimed he with many cases eluding the public eye. immature, adventure excites them
didn’t have one. and sounds like ‘fun’ to them. This
CYBER HARASSMENT ‘technology intoxication’ encourages
After a month of online flirtation (her WiredSafety.org, the world’s them to commit mistakes.”
parents supervised the correspondence), largest online safety group, defines
things took an ugly turn when Josh cyberbullying: “Cyberbullying is when Teenagers chat or message, forgetting
posted online: “I don’t know if I want a child, preteen or teen is tormented, that words can hurt in a virtual world,
to be friends with you anymore because threatened, harassed, humiliated, too. Sometimes, they post their
I’ve heard that you are not very nice embarrassed or otherwise targeted by personal informations online like
to your friends.” Megan’s world fell another child, preteen or teen using address, parents’ credit card numbers
apart as hate messages flooded her, the Internet, interactive and digital and phone numbers, unaware that such
calling her ‘fat’ and a ‘slut’. Josh’s final technologies or mobile phones. It has to details can be misused by
message that ‘the world would be a have a minor on both sides, or at least online criminals.
better place’ without her was the last have been instigated by a minor against
straw. Believing she had been rejected another minor. Once adults become Cyberstalking among teenagers are
by Josh and humiliated by friends, involved, it is plain and simple cyber- rooted in failed friendships, jealousy,
Megan committed suicide. Josh Evans harassment or cyberstalking.” the need to find acceptance in a ‘cool’
vanished forever. group or the need to feel powerful
CYBERSTALKING INVOLVES: without having to physically assault
That’s not the end. Six weeks later • cyberbullying in chat rooms, online others. Take the example of the
Megan’s parents discovered that ‘Josh sites 15-year-old Mumbai schoolgirl who
Evans’ was an online persona created • spreading nasty rumours on websites created a Facebook page against her
by their neighbour Lori Drew. Megan like Orkut, MySpace and Facebook classmate and abused her on it. This
and Lori’s daughter had quarrelled and • tracking online activities of the victim was because she had lost to that
Lori wanted to check if Megan was • sending abusive emails/messages classmate in a competition.
saying nasty things about her daughter. • sending such mails to victim’s friends
Lori’s daughter and a friend knew or relatives V Rajendran, senior vice president of
about the ‘joke’ and participated in • creating a sense of irritation and fear the Cyber Society of India, says,“Most
harassing Megan. in the victim cyber crimes relate to cyberstalking,
40 Parent Circle / March 2012

2. data theft or e-publishing of obscene IF YOUR cHILD IS BEING
pictures online (Sections 65, 66 and cYBERSTALKED
67 of IT Act). More than friends, the Dr Mohana Narayanan, a
parents and teachers are to blame. psychiatrist in Chennai, says
Adults are too lenient with children the best way to help a victim of
and too lax on supervision (monitoring cyberstalking is to “communicate
websites surfed etc).” with the child. Make your children
feel that they will be taken care
CYBERcULTURE of and not just be taken to task.
It is a ‘User beware’ maxim in the Build their confidence.”
cyberworld. Victims of cyberstalking are
children and adults who are not aware If your teenager is being
of this. Therefore, cyberculture would stalked online, then:
include using safety tips like filtering • do not make your child feel
emails and locking private information; guilty.
knowledge of the minimum age to join • contact the culprit and threaten
sites like Orkut/Facebook. him/her with police/legal action. If
the harassment continues, do not
Be aware of the dangers of sharing contact the person again.
information/emotions with online • keep the messages and emails or
strangers and do not respond take printouts as evidence.
to unknown senders of spam/ • contact your local police.
pornographic material. True identities • contact the Cyber Crime
can be masked through fake profiles Investigation Cell.
so IDs and passwords should not be • close your child’s online
shared. Users should read the policy account. Create a new account, if
guidelines of networking sites. necessary, with a different name.
IS YOUR TEENAGER BEING Dr S Mohan Raj, a psychiatrist in
STALKED ONLINE? Chennai, warns youngsters against
Often, you as a parent may be the ‘making friends with the friend of a • Talking to your children’s teachers,
last person to know that your child friend’ online. “Children should be counsellor or friends. Try tracing this
is a victim of cyberstalking. Despite friends with people they know in real behaviour to incidents that may have
the misery, teenagers wish to stay life. This way, the risk is reduced,” occurred at home or school.
connected with their friends and are he advises. • Provide ample warning by going
afraid that parents may deny them online and find out cases where
their online privileges if they reveal that IF YOUR cHILD IS THE children indulging in cybercrimes have
they are being cyberstalked. Without cYBERSTALKER been arrested. A 10th Standard student
appearing to be invasive, find out When this happens, parents usually from Ahmedabad was caught for
whether your child stays aloof or feels blame the society or themselves for not hacking an online shopping website
unnecessarily annoyed. having instilled the right values in and diverting money to his account. He
their children. was arrested, sent to a juvenile cell and
Are the children always online, released later.
especially at night? Do they minimize YOU cAN HELp BY • Taking your teen to a therapist.
screens when family members pass • Explaining to children that harmless
by? Is your child making calls to or joking and bullying are two separate Dr Mohan Raj says teenagers with
receiving calls from unknown numbers? things. Explain to them the adverse problems in handling anger may
Is your child suddenly facing sleeping effects of their actions on others. If the indulge in cyberstalking. He adds,
or concentration difficulties? If ‘yes’, do behaviour continues, deprive them of “Negative behaviour will not disappear
investigate the cause. online privileges. quickly. Always be alert.” 8
www.parentcircle.in 41

3. tech talk
CYBERSTALKING AND THE LAW IN INDIA
Juvenile cyberstalking remains under-reported in India except in a few cases
where children have created nasty profiles or hacked into other accounts.
Debarati Halder, an advocate and MD of Centre for Cyber Victim Counselling,
rues the fact that there are no provisions in the Indian Penal Code which can be
called as ‘stalking law’.
What is the punishment for juvenile cyberstalking in India?
1 Punishments can be either a pecuniary fine and/or jail term depending on
the nature of the harm. If the child perpetrator is about 16-18 years of age and
is proven to be guilty of creating child pornography or general pornography or
of sending obscene messages, then as per Section 67 (including 67, 67A&B that
deal with obscenity, pornography and child pornography) of the Information
Technology Act, the child and his parents are taken to court. The child undergoes
punishment as per the IT Act and IPC, compatible with juvenile justice laws.
Precautions in the
cyberworld If the case is booked and goes to the prosecution stage, the case goes to juvenile
courts where strict privacy is followed regarding the personal information of the
Cyberstalking is active on accused and also the victim.
educational and networking sites
where people share information.
You can prevent it by
2 Have you seen children indicted in India?
Many children and their parents think that law, especially penal and
• monitoring your child’s access pecuniary punishment/fine, is not enforced in cases when the perpetrator is
to the internet. Use an internet a child. I tell them a strong NO. Take the Delhi DPS case, for example, where
monitoring software if possible. a minor was involved in the recording of a sexual act with his classmate on
• making use of internet filters to his mobile and distributing it for profit. Even though it cannot be categorised
restrict access of your teenager to exclusively as a stalking case, the child perpetrator was expelled and a case was
inappropriate sites. booked against him.
• checking your teenager’s
friend list. So, I always tell children that it is better for them to maintain their good
• asking your children not to post reputation than to carry a black mark forever. Even though children under the
personal details like address online. age of 14 are rarely indicted, there are instances where such children have been
• checking privacy settings. taken into custody for severe offences like creating child pornography.
• advising your child not to share
passwords. How can parents prevent their children from committing or indulging
• explaining why it is unsafe to post 3 in cyberstalking?
photos online Parents set the best examples for children including cyber activities. Don’t let your
• setting up a Google Alert for child act like an adult. Parents must monitor the child’s online activities and help
yourself every time your child’s name him distinguish between what is ethically wrong and what is right.
appears in a blog post on the net.
Parents need to observe their children’s offline activities, listen to their frustrations
Do make children aware of the fact and anger, and become a mentor. Once the children can vent anything to their
that the internet is just as public parents, they will have less interest in involving themselves in criminal activities
as the street outside. To prevent like stalking, as a mode of revenge. Parents must make them aware that
cyberstalking from progressing cyberspace is not the place for such activities. It is better if the child logs on to the
to real-life stalking, let’s help our net in the presence of parents so that they can monitor the child.”
children help themselves with the
above guidelines.
SHAIL RAGHUVANSHI IS A FREELANCE WRITER, EDITOR AND POET.
42 Parent Circle / March 2012