Teen’s sexual assault in Balangir raises concerns about digital safety

They grew up together — sharing classrooms, jokes and playgrounds. That sense of familiarity shattered when six teenagers, all known to a Class IX girl, allegedly sexually assaulted her, recorded the act and circulated the video among themselves in Balangir district recently.Experts said the crime underscores the urgent need for stronger parental supervision, tighter controls on access to adult content online, and deeper emotional bonding within families, with reduced screen time for children and adolescents.Police probe revealed that five of the accused were the survivor’s classmates, all aged around 15, while the sixth was a recent Class X dropout, aged 17. Inspector general (northern range) Himanshu Lal said that during questioning, the teenagers said they were influenced by recent exposure to pornographic content, accessed primarily through their parents’ smartphones and circulated within peer groups.The case highlights a disturbing pattern emerging in rural settings, where digital access has expanded rapidly but supervision mechanisms have not kept up pace. Unlike urban households, where parents and children often share overlapping schedules, many rural families retire early, leaving adolescents unsupervised late at night with access to shared smartphones. Investigators said exposure to explicit material by a child quickly spreads among peers, normalising risky behaviour and lowering inhibitions.

“This was avoidable,” Lal said, stressing that parents need to be more vigilant and emotionally connected with their children. “Supervision cannot be outsourced to devices. Emotional and physical presence of parents matters,” he added.Mental health experts echoed his concern. Professor of psychiatry at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, S K Padhy, said unfettered online access combined with emotional neglect can be dangerous.

“An emotional void in adolescence can have disastrous consequences. While excessive control can be counterproductive, parents and schools must be alert to behavioural and emotional red flags,” he said.Child activists and cyber safety specialists pointed out that smartphones, especially shared devices, become unsupervised gateways to harmful content. They stressed the need for parents to actively monitor usage patterns, restrict late-night access and use built-in parental controls on devices, browsers and app stores.

Schools, they argued, must complement this with age-appropriate education on consent, boundaries and respectful behaviour.Child rights activist Ranjan Mohanty said prevention cannot rest on families alone. “Schools must institutionalise digital literacy, life skills education and counselling support. Early warning signs such as desensitisation, aggression or risky peer behaviour are often visible long before crimes take place,” he said, calling for coordinated action involving police, child welfare committees and local administrations.Cyber security expert Satyanarayan Roy warned that social media addiction and algorithm-driven content are increasingly shaping teenage behaviour, contributing to emotional distress, aggression and, in extreme cases, criminal involvement. “Teenagers must be empowered with digital safety awareness, not fear,” he said, adding that parents, teachers and mentors must work together to guide children through the digital ecosystem responsibly.In Aug last year, a 17-year-old boy, allegedly addicted to watching porn on his mobile phone, killed his 12-year-old younger brother in Balangir district. The accused sexually abused his sibling, police said.