Meta to launch a free helpline for boosting kids safety online

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In a bid to enhance children's safety online, Meta has joined hands with RATI Foundation to launch a first of its kind helpline named 'Meri Trustline' to offer support to children under the age of 18 years. The helpline caters to children who are in distress due to cyber bullying and loss of control over sensitive media, including self-generated child sexual abuse material.

The helpline, operational between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday to Friday, will offer technical, emotional, social, legal support as well as provide information and referral support.

"Online safety of children is a serious issue and we are committed to build an environment where children feel safe across our platforms. Each day more children are coming online and to keep them safe from the risks of online harm, there is a need to create a reporting model which is not only child-friendly and effective but it can also be adapted by industry at large," Antigone Davis, VP, Global Head of Safety, Meta, said in a statement.

Also read: Safer Internet Day: It's time we talked about children's online safety

Meri Trustline (6363176363) will be available in both Hindi and English to children and other stakeholders including caregivers, parents/guardians, teachers, siblings, young adults, and allies. Other institutions or organisations dealing with or acting on behalf of children can also call on the helpline. Run by the RATI Foundation, the helpline will have a team of counsellors, including tech and mental health experts addressing queries on the calls.

The Meri Trustline team will also work closely with a strong advisory group of lawyers, experts, and social workers to offer support to the callers based on individual needs. Over the years, Meta has invested significantly to ensure online safety of children on its platforms. It introduced a Child Safety Hub, available in 13 Indian languages, on Facebook which is designed to support parents, caregivers and educators with policies, resources and tools on safety and well-being of youth online.

A Parents' Guide available in English and seven Indian languages was launched on Instagram. The Guide is aimed at helping young people be safe, by informing parents about all the safety features that exist on the platform.

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