Cybercrimes against children went up sharply in 2020: IT ministry to Parliament

Citing data from the NCRB, the information and technology ministry said that in 2019, a total of 306 cybercrime cases against children were registered, while last year, 1,102 cases were filed

Cybercrimes committed against children in India increased sharply in 2020 over the previous year, according to the National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) latest data, the information technology ministry told the Parliament on Wednesday in a written reply.

According to the NCRB’s 2020 data, Uttar Pradesh, with 170, recorded the highest number of online offences against kids, followed by Karnataka (144), Maharashtra (137), Kerala (107) and Odisha (71). (Archives)

“With the expansion of the internet and more and more Indians coming online, incidents of cybercrimes including crimes against children online are increasing,” the IT ministry said.

Citing data from the NCRB, the ministry said that in 2019, a total of 306 cybercrime cases against children were registered, while last year, 1,102 cases were filed.

The IT ministry said the government is “committed to policies and actions” to ensure safe usage of the internet, listing measures taken such as Section 67B of the IT Act, 2000, which enables stringent punishment for publishing, transmitting or viewing objectionable content relating to children.

The IT ministry also told Parliament about the home ministry’s National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, which allows citizens to report matters related to cybercrimes, with particular focus on online crimes targeting women and children.