Safer Internet Day 2025 Nepal: Online Scams, Sextortion, Deepfakes, and Child Online Safety
10th February 2025, Kathmandu
Safer Internet Day 2025 is being celebrated worldwide on Tuesday, 11 February 2025, under the theme “Too good to be true? Protecting yourself and others from scams online.“
Safer Internet Day 2025 Nepal
Safer Internet Day is the world’s largest online safety campaign, observed in over 170 countries to promote a safer, more positive, and responsible internet for children and young people. While the official day falls on 11 February, ChildSafeNet and many other organizations will extend their efforts by raising awareness of internet safety through weeks or even months of activities.
ChildSafeNet, a specialized organization working to protect children and young people online, has been coordinating and promoting Safer Internet Day in Nepal, and contributing as the Safer Internet Day national secretariat since 2019.
Each year, the Safer Internet Day campaign addresses an online issue or theme that reflects the experiences of young people in the digital world. Developed in consultation with young people, this year’s campaign focuses on online scams—helping young people understand how to protect themselves and others, as well as the support available to them.
This Safer Internet Day, we will explore the true scale of online scams and provide a platform for young people to share their experiences and ideas on tackling this issue. We will build on ongoing efforts to raise awareness of threats such as online financial sextortion and also examine the future of scams, addressing key questions such as:
How is changing technology like generative AI going to impact the approach of scammers?
What role can the government and internet industry take to tackle this threat?
And what changes would young people like to see to help protect themselves moving forward?
The campaign calls upon governments, policymakers, law enforcement agencies, telecom regulators, tech companies, internet service providers, media, and other duty-bearers to fulfill their responsibilities to make the internet safer for children and young people. It also calls upon young people, parents, carers, teachers, social workers, the private sector, schools, and communities to help in creating a better and safer internet.
Underscoring the importance of collaborative efforts to protect children online, Anil Raghuvanshi, Founder and President of ChildSafeNet, says, “Children and young people are exposed to the risks of online scams, sextortion, online intimate partner violence and emerging threats like deepfake sexual abuse and exploitation. Government, schools, parents, and technology companies need to increase investment to protect children and young people in the digital age. And, the time is now.”
The campaign urges governments, policymakers, law enforcement agencies, telecom regulators, tech companies, internet service providers, media, and other duty-bearers to fulfill their responsibilities in making the internet safer for children and young people. It also calls on young people, parents, carers, teachers, social workers, the private sector, schools, and communities to play their part in creating a safer and more positive online environment.
Highlighting the need for collective action to protect children online, Anil Raghuvanshi, Founder and President of ChildSafeNet, states:
“Children and young people face growing risks online, including scams, sextortion, online intimate-partner violence, and emerging threats like deepfake sexual abuse and exploitation. Governments, schools, parents, and technology companies must increase their investment in safeguarding children and young people in the digital age. The time to act is now.”
According to a study conducted by ChildSafeNet, in collaboration with the Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI), among teens and young people across ten districts in seven provinces of Nepal, one in four teens and young people in intimate relationships had experienced online intimate partner violence (IPV) in Nepal.
Parental influence, guidance, and education have the potential to empower children to use technology safely, responsibly, respectfully, critically, and creatively. However, a recent study by ChildSafeNet found that 85% of parents do not talk about online safety with their children, particularly concerning protection from online sexual abuse and exploitation.
On the other hand, the rapid advancement of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) has created new challenges. Perpetrators are misusing this technology to create child sexual abuse and exploitation material. Additionally, the malicious use of Generative AI models enables the large-scale generation and spread of misinformation, disinformation, and hate speech within a short period.
To enhance online safety for children and young people, ChildSafeNet has expanded its online safety training programs across more than 40 districts in Nepal. However, there remains a critical need to reach more children, young people, parents, duty-bearers, and service providers. Emphasizing the importance of collective action, Raghuvanshi stressed the need for a multi-sectoral response to ensure the digital safety of children and young people and to integrate digital safety education from an early age.
This year, more than 50 organizations, including UN agencies, INGOs, NGOs, CBOs, the private sector, and media houses, stand in solidarity with ChildSafeNet to promote Safer Internet Day in Nepal.
For more: Safer Internet Day 2025 Nepal
