Kolkata Police Broadens Cyber Safety Campaign to Address Mental Health Concerns
Kolkata Police has launched an ambitious cyber awareness initiative that goes beyond traditional warnings about financial losses. Officers now emphasize the psychological scars left by digital crimes. They want citizens to understand how cyber incidents can damage mental well-being alongside wallets and reputations.
Seven-Segment Module Reaches All Age Groups
The police department designed a compulsory seven-part educational module. This program targets everyone from school students to senior citizens. It covers various modern threats including artificial intelligence risks, Meta platform dangers, SIM-swap scams, and multiple fraud types.
Digital arrest schemes, fake hotel booking frauds, and investment scams receive particular attention. Corporate entities have noticed this comprehensive approach. Several companies already requested similar training sessions for their employees.
Customized Presentations for Different Audiences
Cyber units received instructions to tailor their presentations for specific groups. For the first time, awareness campaigns extend beyond conventional college student warnings about crypto frauds and digital arrests. Officers now introduce complex concepts like Metaverse hazards during their interactions.
Sergeant Suvankar Chakraborty leads the South Division cyber cell. He clarified their position saying, "We are not against any technology, but safety is required." His team incorporated "sharenting" dangers into their curriculum. This term describes parents oversharing children's details on social media, potentially harming minors' futures.
Virtual Reality Dangers and Psychological Effects
Police presentations now address virtual reality's psychological impacts. Officers explain that Meta's Metaverse represents a new technological frontier with unique risks. VR hangovers and post-VR sadness are documented phenomena they discuss openly.
An officer elaborated: "When people experience incredibly immersive virtual worlds then return to reality, depression and sadness can follow. As immersive experiences improve, more individuals may struggle with this transition."
Violent VR games receive special mention in these sessions. The same officer expressed concern: "If someone practices shooting guns or strangling people in virtual games, real-world behavior replication becomes a genuine risk."
Kolkata Police's expanded approach recognizes that cyber safety involves protecting minds as much as money. Their holistic strategy addresses both immediate financial threats and longer-term psychological consequences of our increasingly digital lives.
