Lately, social media has advanced rapidly, thus causing an unprecedented revolution in the digital world, bringing people together in seconds despite geographical distances. Interestingly, while the children of today indulge in the digital culture, the psychological effects of excessive engagement in social media appear alarming. Digital world, perceived as a place to connect to others, induces the youth into feelings of isolation, anxiety, and despair that often eventuate in tragic deaths like suicide and crime.
India, the most populated country in the world, is also a leader in mobile internet connectivity, having more than 1 billion connections. In this digital expansion, creating a gap between urban and rural areas, urban tele-density reports 128%, while rural tele-density is comparable at 58% (as per February 2024, TRAI). Amidst this, however, come new challenges confronting, mainly, the youth. Smartphones have become a fast-growing tool, while 75.1 million users (27.2% of India’s population aged between 15 to 29) have been exposed to an uncontrolled wilderness. In this case, easy access to the online world without concerted digital literacy and mental health protection measures has made matters worse in the form of cyberbullying, social comparison, and psychological trauma. The virtual world which was supposed to connect has also become a big source of disconnection that succeeds on finicky beauty standards, peer pressure, and addiction. With social media being utterly free-spirited and massively hitting the very vast and varied categories of Indian users, which is driven to question whether it gives rise to a discourse on regulation, mental health awareness, and responsible digital use to protect the most vulnerable from further ramifications.
It transforms to a parallel reality that compels the youth to seek validation through ‘likes’, ‘shares’, and ‘followers’ constantly. The futile chase of online approval-to those without self-consciousness-in no doubt breeds insecurity and self-doubt. At this age, there are so many disappointments caused by societal definitions of happiness, success, and physical appearance. All that pressure heightens emotional distress, hence often twisting many minds into this comparison-inadequacy spiral.
The lack of body language cues since it relates to the virtual communication makes the process vulnerable to misconstructions. A seemingly harmless comment looks like a rejection in the absence of an expected reply, aggravating the sense of severance. Moreover, the access to social media is 24/7; thus, young users will ever remain psychologically bound with it.
Cyberbullying is the curse of social media with which a bully can abuse someone psychologically without getting hold of his or her account. The anonymity of digital platforms makes it possible for people to lash out with the most abusive, haranguing, and appalling terms. They cannot escape this kind and persistent bullying and usually fall into an emotional depth that ends in self-harm or thoughts of taking their own lives.
In India, the sharp rise in incidents of cyber crime, whereby fraudsters siphoned away a whopping Rs 33,165 crore in the last four years, exposed the great shortcomings of the country’s digital infrastructure. Though a staggering Rs 22,812 crore alone in the year 2024, financial fraud has surged, almost exponentially from Rs 551 crore in 2021 to Rs 7,496 crores in 2023, revealing the ugly fact that criminals are taking the rapid growth of internet access, particularly in Tier 2 and 3 cities, to their advantage. While the penetration of smartphones and the adoption of digital banking have increased, the measures for security and the awareness of users remain ill-equipped to counter multi-step and very tough scams made possible by the criminals. Unfortunately, with anonymity getting aided by unaccountable digital transactions, organized cybercrime syndicates became established; sometimes they even cross the boundaries of jurisdictions.
If a world-class cybersecurity ecosystem with strong legal frameworks and cyberspace awareness campaigns is not put in place soon, we may run the risk of being heralded as the global marketplace for cybercriminal activities. This could eventually undermine national economic stability and jeopardize citizens’ trust in these digital transactions.
High and mighty laws cannot address deep-rooted cultural attitudes which form the basis of cyber violence against women. Strengthening laws is of course necessary but equally important is the need to change cultural norms and attitudes regarding women’s participation in the digital space. The success of this initiative will ultimately depend on multiple factors: the completeness of the legal reforms proposed, how efficiently they are put into effect, the accessibility of redress mechanisms, and the effectiveness of awareness campaigns in reaching diverse women across different socioeconomic and regional backgrounds in India.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) recently organized a Final Review Consultation in New Delhi under the aegis of Vigyan Bhawan on Cyber Laws for Women. The two-day event, attended by Minister of State for Law & Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal, marked an important step towards reinforcing legal safeguards for women in cyberspace. NCW launched Cyber Saheli, a booklet to educate women about digital safety, their rights, and available redressal mechanisms, at the consultation. The initiative seeks to empower women with knowledge and understanding regarding available tools to navigate the digital world safely. NCW Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar reiterated the commission’s rhetoric of commitment toward women’s online safety and stronger cyber laws. Now these recommendations shall be forwarded to the Ministry of Law & Justice for legal reform, augmenting the urgency for addressing cybercrime against women.
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