The program comes amid increased use of smartphones and the Internet by children, especially after the pandemic, when education has also moved online. | Photo credit: FILE PHOTO
To create awareness about cyber security and digital security among students, the Government of Karnataka has launched the Digital Nagarik program in all government primary and secondary schools in the state. Around 1,000,000 teachers and 10,000,000 students from grades 6 to 10 will benefit from the program and will be informed about safe use of the internet, cyber security rules, online etiquette, digital rights, responsibilities and privacy.
The program is being run in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Education and social media giant Meta. A successful pilot test was conducted in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Belagavi and Dakshina Kannada districts in 2024-25.
Under the initiative, the Department of State Educational Research and Training (DSERT) will first train 1,00,000 teachers using the DISHA portal, who will then create awareness among students. Teacher training began on November 15.
To raise awareness about digital security, a number of activities have been planned under Digital Nagarik, including awareness campaigns, classroom sessions, poster competitions and student-led drives. The Digital Nagrik Toolkit will be shared to help schools plan initiatives that promote safe and responsible online behaviour. Schools are encouraged to nominate student leaders as Digital Nagrik Ambassadors to lead these activities. The best schools and ambassadors of Digital Nagrik will be recognized and showcased for their outstanding contribution.
The program comes amid increased use of smartphones and the Internet by children, especially after the pandemic, when education has also moved online. “In recent years, children are spending more time online after school. It seems that this is not being properly monitored. Because of this, cases of digital bullying, phishing and morphing targeting children have also sprung up. In this context, it is necessary to create awareness among children about cyber safety and digital security and Digital Nagarik is an initiative in this direction,” said HNDS, Director Gopalaskrihna.
Published – 16 Nov 2025 19:44 IST
