Women and Child Development Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar on Thursday proposed that police personnel regularly visit schools and colleges—at least four days a week—to educate students about the risks of social media and safeguard them from online exploitation.

She made the suggestion while speaking at the inauguration of a district-level workshop for police officers on Children’s Online Safety, organised by the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) in association with Child Fund India at Vidhana Soudha.

Emphasising the role of the police in awareness-building, the minister said students must be informed about the harmful effects of excessive social media use. She also called for coordinated efforts from multiple departments, including Police and Education, to ensure the holistic development and protection of children.

Citing a report, Hebbalkar noted that 78% of children in rural areas are more dependent on mobile phones, laptops, tablets and computers than their urban counterparts, a trend she said has contributed to a rise in crimes against women and girls. She urged authorities to take effective measures to address the issue.

She further pointed out that adolescents between the ages of 14 and 18 are the most vulnerable to social media addiction. Calling the situation alarming, she said that despite the formation of an inter-departmental committee involving the Law, Education, Health and Rural Development departments, incidents of online harassment and misuse of social media continue unabated.

KSCPCR Chairperson Shashidhar Kosambe, Women’s Development Corporation President G. Padmavati, DDPIs, DIET principals, and officials from various departments attended the programme.

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