Akshay Kumar says online predator asked his daughter for nude photos and demands cyber safety classes in schools

Highlights:

• The Bollywood star revealed a stranger asked his daughter for nude pictures during an online game.
• His quick-thinking daughter immediately shut off the device and told her mother.
• Kumar described this as a common entry point for more serious online crimes.
• He made a direct appeal to the state's Chief Minister for immediate action.
• The actor called for mandatory weekly cyber safety classes for students in grades 7 to 10.

You think you have a handle on what your children are up to online, and then a story like this hits. Akshay Kumar just dropped a bombshell about a scare involving his own family, the kind that makes every parent's blood run cold. His daughter was gaming, something millions of children do every day, when a random player slid into her direct messages with a demand for nude pictures. It is this exact horror that has him demanding a "cyber period" be incorporated into the school curriculum, and frankly, who can argue?

Akshay Kumar revealed his daughter’s encounter with an online predator Getty Images/Instagram/akshaykumar

What exactly went down with his daughter?

So, here is the scene. A few months ago, his daughter was deep into one of those video games where you play with strangers from who knows where. Everything seemed normal until a private message popped up. The first question was creepy but simple: "Are you male or female?" She answered, probably without a second thought. Then came the next message. No pleasantries, no warning. Just a straight-up ask for her nude pictures.

The sheer audacity of it is staggering. Thankfully, the child has a good head on her shoulders. She did not engage, nor did she panic. She just switched the whole thing off and went and found her mother, Twinkle Khanna. This is a lesson right there in why children need to feel they can tell you anything.

Is online crime really bigger than street crime now?

Kumar might be onto something. Think about it. That first creepy message? It is never just a one-off. It is a test. They are seeing what they can get away with. If a child even hesitates, the situation changes completely. Then what? Blackmail? Threats? It is a short hop from a nasty direct message to something far worse. The whole thing gets really dark, really fast.

Kumar's argument is that you would not send a child out onto a busy motorway without teaching them the Green Cross Code. So, why are we sending them into the digital wild west with zero training?

Concerned parents are backing the actor’s call for cyber awareness in classrooms iStock

What would this proposed 'cyber period' actually do?

He is not being vague about it. He stood there at a police event and made a direct plea to the state's top minister. His idea is a dedicated lesson every single week for children in standards 7 through 10. This would cover practical, necessary stuff, such as how to spot a scam, what a predator's grooming messages look like, why you never share that kind of personal information, and crucially, what to do the second you feel uncomfortable. It is about building a reflex, like his daughter had. Switch it off. Tell an adult. Do not be a victim. It seems so obvious, but apparently it has to be taught. And after a story like this, good luck finding a parent who would say no.