Kolkata: School students across different boards on Wednesday — the ‘Cyber Jaagrookta Diwas’ — attended NCERT-organised live sessions where they got an insight into cyberbullying, social media scams and other online risks.A recent order from the education ministry stated that students are exposed to various cyber risks during the rapid expansion in digital technologies, online learning platforms, social media, and digital services. Considering these emerging concerns, NCERT, under the aegis of the education ministry, has started organising a monthly live session series on ‘cyber safety and security awareness’ for students. The first session was held on Wednesday, with several schools from different boards participating alongside their students. The session covered matters related to digital wellness, the protection of personal information and passwords, staying alert to online risks, and cyber threats stemming from inappropriate content.These sessions aim at providing students with age-appropriate and practical knowledge to identify and prevent cyber risks, protect personal information and digital identities, use digital platforms safely and responsibly, and respond appropriately to cybercrimes and online threats. The broader objective is to focus on various aspects of cyber safety and security, including psychological, physical, technological, socio-ethical, and legal dimensions.On the first day of the live sessions, experts highlighted digital wellness for both students and parents. The 30-minute sessions focused on specific threats school students face when using digital platforms, alerting them to online risks while navigating social media or other online services. Speakers urged students to exercise caution before clicking links or sharing, posting, or responding online while emphasising the importance of maintaining a healthy balance among screen time, studies, physical activities, sleep, and relationships.Students from various participating schools expressed satisfaction with the topics covered in the opening session. Mousumi Saha, principal of National English School, said: “Mental and cyber wellbeing are two of the most important topics that need to be discussed on a regular basis to sensitize students to unknown threats. Immediately after receiving the order from CISCE, we asked our students to attend the live session.”Raja Dey, the headmaster of Bhawanipore Mitra Institution, stated that a group of students from his school participated in the live session. “The topics covered on the first day are age-appropriate and address issues that most students, parents, and schools struggle with. We all talk about reducing screen time, but an expert can best guide us on how to balance screen time, studies, physical activity, sleep, and relationships.”
