Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar has said that online gaming can be a very dangerous place for young kids. He recently recalled a disturbing incident involving his 13-year-old daughter, Nitara, who was harassed while playing an online video game.
Speaking at an event, Kumar revealed that, as innocent as gaming appears online and offline, it can be a danger zone for youngsters, especially when it involves interactions with strangers.
According to him, his daughter once got asked to send a nude photo of herself while playing a game online, forcing her to immediately turn the game off and inform her parents.
“I want to tell you all about a small incident which happened at my house a few months back. My daughter was playing a video game, and there are some video games that you can play with someone. You are playing with an unknown stranger. While you are playing, sometimes a message comes from there… Then a message comes asking, ‘Are you male or female?’ So she replied ‘female.’ And then they sent another message, ‘Can you send me a n*de picture of you?’” he said.
Describing the act as a form of cybercrime, he urged schools across India to take proactive measures to keep students informed about the dangers on the internet.
He concluded by saying that online crime is gradually becoming a bigger menace than street crime nowadays.
“It was my daughter. She switched off the whole thing, and she went and told my wife. This is how things begin. This is also a part of cybercrime… I would request the Chief Minister that in our Maharashtra state, every week on the seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth standards, there should be a period called cyber period where children should be explained about it. You all know that this crime is becoming bigger than street crime. It is very important to stop this crime,” he added.
