Pune: Awareness of critical cyber safety concepts among school and college students has risen sharply following focused training programmes, a survey conducted by the Quick Heal Foundation between Aug and Nov last year showed.The findings, released on March 26, showed a dramatic improvement across all age groups. Awareness levels increased from 43% to 89% among students of Stds V-VII, from 49% to 90% among Stds VIII-X, and from 43% to 90% among college students after the training sessions, it showed.The survey covered 2.2 lakh students aged 11 to 24 from arts, commerce and science streams. Around 80% of the respondents said they intended to adopt safer online practices after attending the sessions. Early behavioural changes were also observed, with notable improvements in safe digital behaviour among both school and college students.Third-year graduate student Aditya Mane from Pimpri said repeated participation in the programme had made him more vigilant about cyber threats, particularly spam messages. “The training helped me assist several people in my neighbourhood who had fallen victim to cyber frauds,” Mane said. “It’s not just about spreading awareness, but also about building connections, creating a network and improving myself,” he said.The survey was conducted among participants of the ‘Cyber Shiksha for Cyber Suraksha’ initiative, which aimed to enhance digital literacy and cyber safety awareness among young people. Anupama Katkar, chairperson of the Quick Heal Foundation, said the findings reinforced her belief in the role of youth in building a safer digital ecosystem.“The results fill me with strong conviction that the future belongs to a digitally empowered youth. They indicate that India’s youth is ready to become the first line of defence in building a safe digital India,” Katkar said.Third-year computer science student Sakshi Neharkar said the programme helped clear several misconceptions about online behaviour. “I now understand the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-life situations much better. The training gave me a practical perspective and made me more aware of real-world digital risks,” she said.
