look news india
Social Media Dating Apps: An incident involving a 16-year-old teenager in Kerala has highlighted the dangers of social media and dating apps. Teen was sexually exploited through dating app. Police have charged 14 people, including government employees, with befriending and exploiting the teen through the app. Investigation revealed that the teenager was active on this online platform through a fake profile for about 2 years.
According to the police, such cases are now becoming common. Such incidents come to light during the D-DAD (Digital De-addiction) program launched in 2023. The aim of this initiative is to save children from addiction to online games, social media and pornography. At present, 6 centers are operational in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kochi, Thrissur, Kozhikode and Kannur. By 2025-26, the initiative is planned to be expanded to Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Palakkad, Malappuram, Wayanad, Idukki and Kasaragod.
D-Dad’s success
According to official data, from March 2023 to July 2025, D-Dad centers dealt with 1992 cases of digital addiction, of which 571 children were victims of online game addiction. “We are seeing that boys are mostly addicted to online games, while girls are more attracted towards social media. Our counselors help children and their parents come out of this addiction,” said Suraj Kumar MB, coordinator of the D-Dad center in Ernakulam.
Change in attitude of parents
According to Sooraj, the biggest success of this program is that parents are now accepting digital addiction as a serious problem. “Earlier, many parents were in denial that mobile use is an addiction, but now they understand its seriousness and accept that their children need help,” he said.
worrying statistics
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told the Assembly that from January 2021 to September 9, 2025, 41 children committed suicide due to misuse of mobile and internet. Additionally, 30 children were found involved in sexual or drug-related crimes linked to misuse of digital platforms.
Experts warn
Cyber law expert Ziyas Jamal described the D-DAD program as a model initiative and advised other states to emulate it. He cautioned that the increasing misuse of dating apps by minors is a matter of serious concern. Parents, schools and the government need to work together to protect children in the digital age. Initiatives like D-DAD are an important step in this direction, but along with awareness and education, strict legal measures are also needed.
