GUWAHATI: The Assam Police has issued an advisory to schools, urging strict caution in the handling and publication of children’s photographs and personal information on social media platforms amid rising cyber safety concerns.
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The advisory highlights that children’s images and personal details are being increasingly misused by cyber criminals and online predators for Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), AI-based image morphing, grooming, sextortion, cyberbullying and identity theft. Schools have been asked to adopt stronger safeguards while sharing any content involving minors online.
As per the guidelines, schools have been instructed to avoid posting identifiable photographs or videos of students. Instead, they are directed to use safer alternatives such as group photographs, back-facing images, blurred faces, activity-based visuals or illustrations. Institutions have also been directed not to share sensitive information such as full names, class details, identification numbers, locations, phone numbers or other personal data.
The advisory further states that schools must not tag children, parents or locations, and should avoid posting real-time updates from school trips, events, camps or outdoor activities. All child-related content must be reviewed and approved by authorised school authorities before being published on digital platforms.
The Assam Police has also advised immediate removal of any such content if objections are raised by parents, guardians or students. It has further urged schools to sensitise teachers and staff about emerging cyber threats, including CSAM misuse, AI-driven image manipulation, grooming, sextortion, cyberbullying and digital privacy risks.
