AN OVERVIEW OF CYBERSPACE AND SPIRALLING ABUSE AMONG KERALA ADOLESCENTS

Abstract

The abuse faced by the adolescent population in cyberspace from various prominent social media platforms and the efficacy of the existing legal framework in countering this social hazard are expected to be analyzed through this study. The adolescent population of Kerala is primarily taken into consideration as the apex source for this research. Post-pandemic era and the unchallenged rise in the usage of online platforms by adolescents for education and entertainment havepushedthem to a state of vulnerability at the hands of a wide variety of cybercrimes. The rise in registered cyber cases by legal authorities and the unmonitored amount of face time spent by this young segment of the population requires effective and immediate addressing to raiseconsciousness to prevent any forms of uninvited advancements from online predators. Even though there are government-initiated measures to counter harmful acts against adolescents and toddlers socially and at the educational institution level.

The simultaneous rise in cybercrimes against minors and the proportional correlation that it holds with child pornography is significantly alarming. Even though there is a rapid flow of information in the digital era. The addressing of cybercrimes is limited to merely safeguarding the monetary security of adults. The education system of third-world countries like India is more prominently dependent on digital space for nurturing their young minds via education and entertainment. The study aims to point out the relevance of a safe cyber domicile for future young minds. Initial study data is based on the registered crimes in POCSO cases by Kerala police and the child suicides in the state inthe past few years. The study investigates the relevance of inter-family relations in cyberspace. It also aims to study the impact of parental neglect, one of the major factors that contributes to the rise in cybercrimes among children. Data collected from various online sources were analysed using qualitative methodology.