General
Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar on Friday revealed that his teenage daughter was asked to send her nude photo while playing an online game on her mobile phone. The actor said she showed presence of mind, switched off the device, and informed her mother. He shared the incident during a cyber safety awareness programme in Mumbai attended by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and senior police officials.
General Akshay Kumar narrates incident
Akshay Kumar said his daughter encountered an unknown person while playing an online game a few months ago. The individual initially sent friendly and encouraging messages. After some exchanges, the person asked about her location, to which she replied that she was from Mumbai. The actor said the person later asked whether she was male or female, and when she replied that she was female, the person abruptly demanded a nude photograph.
“She immediately switched off the whole thing (mobile), went to her mother and told her what had happened,” Kumar said. He added that her alertness saved her from becoming a victim of cyber criminals.
General ‘This is how everything begins’
The actor said the incident highlighted how cyber criminals approach children online. “This is how everything begins. It is great that my daughter spoke to my wife about it,” he said.
“This is a part of cyber crime, where children get carried away. In some cases, people face extortion and many things happen. There are many cases where the victim ends life,” Kumar said.
General Actor urges cyber safety lessons in schools
Kumar stressed that children should be educated about online threats at an early stage. “In school, we learn history and maths. We also learn two plus two is four. But in the cyber world that four can become zero. Our children should learn all this,” he said.
He requested the chief minister to introduce a weekly cyber safety period for students from class 7 to 10 in Maharashtra. “I would like to request the CM that in Maharashtra schools from class 7 to 10, there should be a weekly ‘period’ on cyber safety,” Kumar said, adding that cyber crime is bigger than street crime and must be prevented.