The other side of watching online content!!!

Sanjay Kumar, a 24-year-old BAMS student, attempted to rob Dhanlaxmi Bank in Bhopal’s Piplani district on this weekend to settle debts accrued via online gaming. He entered the bank wearing a helmet and mask, carrying chilli spray and an air pistol that he had bought online. The culprit threw chilli powder on employees and a customer, but when confronted by the employees, he panicked. He flew on his bike without taking the money.

However, this time, the police are not late (as per our Hindi Cinema). Within hours, police had tracked him down using CCTV video. Sanjay admits to organising the crime after losing more than INR 2 lakh in online gambling. He apparently learnt the skills from YouTube and picked a bank with no security guards. An FIR has been lodged, and additional investigation is ongoing. The event filled the weekend with both horror and laughter among the netizens.

The Dark Side of Online Platform: When Educational Platforms Enable Harmful Behavior.

How tragic is it that some people are learning dangerous skills like theft on YouTube, that are officially designed to educate and inspire, which will eventually have disastrous effects on both the offender and their victims?

The rise of YouTube as an educational platform has transformed how people acquire knowledge and skills. While millions use the platform to learn languages, develop professional capabilities, or pursue enriching hobbies, a concerning trend has emerged where some individuals exploit this powerful learning tool to acquire knowledge for criminal activities.

Law enforcement agencies have reported cases where arrested suspects admitted to learning robbery techniques through online videos. This troubling phenomenon highlights how accessible information can be weaponized, turning a platform designed for education and enrichment into an unwitting accomplice to crime. 

Following are the historical anecdotes to show how people today are using learning platforms to commit crime.

1. In January 2023, a 22-year-old man named Kalil Rahman attempted to rob an Indian Overseas Bank branch armed with pepper spray, chilli powder, and a knife.
2. In February 2023, a polytechnic student named Suresh attempted to rob a Canara Bank branch in Dharapuram, Tamil Nadu. He was inspired by a bank robbery scene in the Tamil movie Thunivu 
3. In September 2019, it was reported that a 31-yr-old was held for trying to rob 3 banks after watching a Hollywood film.

The consequences of these activities is not just one time, it ripples through a myriad of stages, and the paths eventually pave the way to devastating outcomes. What might begin as watching videos out of curiosity or desperation can escalate into actions that irreversibly alter their lives. Criminal records severely limit future employment opportunities, education prospects, and housing options. Many face lengthy prison sentences, separated from family and loved ones.

Content- A double edged!

Content today is a double edged sword, and the moderation of same at large scale is complex, and determining the line between legitimate educational content and potentially harmful material requires careful consideration. While some videos may be explicitly instructional for criminal activity, others may have dual-use potential or be ambiguous in nature. It seems like that the daily soap serial ‘Crime Patrol’ which was supposed to alert people from perpetrators revolving around them eventually became a platform that is used by the culprits to learn ways of doing crime!

Also, How Online Gaming Is Taking A Financial Toll Resembling A Growing Concern In Society?

What typically begins as harmless entertainment – a few matches here, a battle pass there – can quickly transform into an overwhelming financial burden. Modern games are masterfully crafted to trigger spending through constant prompts for microtransactions. Players find themselves dropping INR 50 for a character skin, then INR 1000 for a special weapon, until hundreds or even thousands of bucks have vanished into their virtual world.

Many players report spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars on “free-to-play” games. In their quest for digital success, some people have experienced severe financial difficulty, maxing out credit cards or emptying savings accounts. Since some monetisation techniques are always changing, it is essential for these gamers—whether they are complacent or addicted—to keep a close eye on their spending patterns and establish stringent spending caps.

Following are such cases-

1. In September 2024, it was reported that a class 7 student from Lucknow drained Rs 5 lakh from his parents’ bank accounts over the course of several months. The money was siphoned off under the guise of progressing to new stages in an online game that promised lucrative rewards.
2. The very next month, it was reported that teen brothers lose Rs 6.5 lakh in online games in UP.
3. Another heartbreaking incident comes from June 2023 where a Hyderabad woman was left with no money in bank after her 16-year-old son spent Rs 36 lakh on mobile gaming.

The bottom line.

These kinds of situations remind us that technology itself is neutral – it’s how humans choose to use it that determines its impact on society. While we cannot completely prevent the misuse of educational platforms, we can work to create environments and opportunities that make constructive choices more appealing than destructive ones.