United News of Bangladesh

Bangladesh now stands at a threshold where the familiar theatre of politics is being rewritten before our very eyes. Once, the story was told through posters plastered on cracked walls, festoons strung across narrow lanes, and the blare of megaphones cutting through the night. Now, the script has changed. The new battlefield is the screen; the new weapons are memes. Laughter slices deeper than slogans. Irony pierces harder than pamphlets. Once, citizens gathered in town squares, markets, or outside city halls to speak up, protest, and debate. They held signs, chanted slogans, and faced one another. Today, that stage has mostly shifted - into our phones. Social media is now the battlefield, the meeting place, the soapbox all in one. In this new “public square,” comment threads, TikTok videos, meme pages, and viral posts have replaced physical rallies. Political stories, grievances, and loyalties are born, spread, and challenged in real time - often by ordinary people, not just by the powerful. This change brings both hope and danger. On the bright side, a single meme or clever post can circle the country overnight. Voices once ignored - students, artists, the quiet observers - can now speak and be heard. It is now obvious that the great battle for power is no longer fought only in the streets — it is being waged in the feeds of the masses. The ‘Youthquake’ that lit the fire: July 2024 The turning point came with the student uprisings of July 2024. Streets thundered with chants, but the internet raged with a parallel storm. Memes seared authority with biting wit, hashtags outpaced the speed of slogans, and protest art became the new graffiti—spray-painted not only on the walls, but also across screens. What once was dismissed as jest turned into a clarion call, it was not just mere annotation anymore. It was mobilization. And in that moment, the internet was not just a witness to history, it became history’s weapon. Our soil is especially ripe for this transformation because Bangladesh is a young country. Youth make up about one-third of our population.  Among registered voters, more than 30 percent are under 35. But until recently, many of those young people stayed away from elections. A survey found that 54 percent of youths had never voted in a general election. Another study reported 75 percent of youth said they had never participated in a national election. Then came July 2024. The student uprisings shook things, and young people poured into streets and into screens. Hashtags, meme pages, comment threads - politics became a conversation again, not just a grand show by old parties. Some who had never voted before began reading debates in comments, watching candidate profiles, sharing sarcastic memes about corruption, inequality, demand for change. The mix of memes and youth has created new fault lines. The young are less patient with old speeches, more drawn to sharp humor, more likely to share than just listen. In a filtered feed, one clever meme can travel faster and wider than a campaign leaflet ever could. Satire sharpens its edge: DUCSU 2025 The tide swelled in 2025 through the Dhaka University Central Students Union (DUCSU) and hall union elections. Campaigns abandoned hollow chants and embraced parody. Posters mocked currency. Slogans dripped with sarcasm, and memes that were once laughed off as simple jokes began to carry real weight, almost like political manifestos. But every sword casts a dreadful shadow as well. With satire came smear. Falsehoods spread like wildfire, targeting candidates, especially women, with venomous precision. The Election Commission intervened with warnings. It felt as if online missteps could carry the same weight as tampering with ballots. A sobering truth emerged - satire was no longer just harmless fun. It had become a fatal double-edged weapon, capable of ending someone’s career as easily as saving it. Faceless army: The bot Invasion Yet hidden behind the scene, a silent power directs the show. Bot armies, silent and relentless, amplify narratives, drown dissent and create illusions of consensus. A candidate’s popularity, or its perception at least, can be inflated in minutes. Critics can be buried beneath waves of coordinated noise. For the common voter scrolling through their feed, the line between genuine support and engineered approval has all but disappeared. Humor may lighten the meme wars, but distortion fuels them. And in this strange new arena, the opponent may not be another citizen; but an ‘Army of Shadows’. Election 2026: Rules of war rewritten As the nation steels itself for the 13th general election in 2026, the Election Commission has laid down a new code of combat. The old order is gone. Posters, festoons, and PVC banners - all summarily banished. Billboard ads, once towering symbols of influence, cut down to just twenty per constituency. Every social media handle must now be declared, every message subject to scrutiny. A single misleading post could summon not applause but imprisonment and a fine sharp enough to cripple a campaign. Clearly, the age of poster wars has ended. The age of meme wars has begun. No longer will victory belong to those who command the walls of a city. It will belong to those who command its feeds. Candidates who wield satire with skill and algorithms with precision will surge forward. Those clinging to the relics of the old world will fade into irrelevance. But the danger is stark as one careless meme can undo a career. One viral punchline can crown a leader. The margin between triumph and ruin has never been so thin. Warnings from Abroad Look abroad for signs of what may come. In Germany’s 2021 federal election, researchers documented how campaigns and disinformation used social media to sway voters. Platforms struggled to stem the tide of fake news flooding timelines. One study found that extra ad impressions on social media could shift vote shares by a few percentage points. (OUP Academic) Meanwhile, in Tanzania, ahead of its 2025 election, the government blocked access to X (formerly Twitter) after alleged “cyberattacks” — raising questions about whether this new “public square” can be shut down at will. These examples reveal both the promise and peril of digital politics: memes and algorithms can spark change, but they can also be captured, censored, or twisted by those in control. Perils of the ‘new age’ Yet the odyssey ahead is artful. The imposed regulations on ‘harmful content’ may become a stern shackle for dissent. Legions of bots could shake the very foundations of democracy, turning honest debate into a battlefield of deception. It is certain that the eco-friendly reforms will save the environment, but there lies risks of sidelining candidates who lack digital muscle to compete. Thus, the stage of Bangladeshi politics has been transformed. The festoon and the poster, once the lifeblood of campaigns, now surrender to social media, memes and hashtags. What once simply entertained has become a calculated strategy. What once adorned walls now shapes destinies. As the countdown to the 2026 election continues, one thing is clear - the real fight won’t be in crowded squares or noisy rallies, but in the digital feeds where stories are crafted, sharpened, and spread. And make no mistake, that battle is already underway. The streets may still reverberate with echoes, but the screens will be the dominant medium, for sure. And, in this kingdom of pixels and punchlines, the victor will not be the one who shouts the loudest, but the one who makes the world laugh, click and believe.

The Election Commission is seriously working to design an effective strategy to curb the abuse of artificial intelligence (AI) and social media, considering the fight against misinformation and disinformation on social media as a major challenge during the upcoming national election slated for February 2026. The current commission, headed by AMM Nasir Uddin, believes the spread of misinformation and disinformation on social media could hamper a congenial electoral environment ahead of the 13th parliamentary election in this era of artificial intelligence and digital platforms. Taking the issue seriously, the EC has already incorporated several provisions in the Code of Conduct for Political Parties and Candidates in Parliamentary Election Rule 2025 to check the misuse of AI and social media. Besides, the commission has planned to form a central cell or committee to effectively control AI- and social media-related abuses. “We’ll form a committee to effectively control the abuses of AI and social media. But it may be a central cell or an effective committee. We’ve yet to define its name,” EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed told UNB on Wednesday. Alongside the central committee, the Commission may also set up committees at district or upazila level to contain such abuses, if necessary. NBR unveils 10-year strategy to strengthen domestic revenue mobilisation In the Code of Conduct for Political Parties and Candidates in Parliamentary Election Rule 2025 finalized on September 4, the EC imposed a ban on the misuse of AI and social media, along with restrictions on drones and quadcopters in election campaigns. According to the clause 16 of the code of conduct, a candidate or his election agent or any other persons on his behalf can carry out election campaign on social media, but the name and account ID, e-mail ID and other identifying information of a candidate or his election agent or party related social media must be submitted to the Returning Officer before the commencement of the campaign. In the case of social media campaigns, Artificial Intelligence (AI) cannot be used for malicious purposes in any election-related matter, including campaigning. As per the clause, all types of harmful content, including hate speech, misinformation, disfiguring someone's face and fabricated election-related information, shall not be created and disseminated as well as hate speech, personal attacks, or inflammatory language targeting opponents, women, minorities, or any other group of people shall not be used in the social media. Bangladesh Polls: Lines redrawn, but 22 upazilas still stranded between 2 seats The clause also states that religious or ethnic sentiments must not be exploited for electoral gain; and the authenticity of all election-related content must be verified before publication or sharing on social media. It further states that no political party, candidate, or supporter shall create, publish, circulate or share any false, misleading, biased, hateful, obscene, offensive or defamatory content on social media or any other medium, generally or by editing or by means of Artificial Intelligence (AI), with the intention of misleading voters or of defaming the character or reputation of any candidate or person, regardless of gender. The maximum punishment for violating this code is six months’ imprisonment, or a fine of Tk 150,000 or both. Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin on several occasions stressed that the misuse of AI and social media poses a major challenge ahead of the next national election. "With the misuse of Artificial Intelligence (AI), it is possible to circulate content using my exact image and voice. In this election, such abuse of AI has emerged as a major challenge for us. We are trying to address it," he said at a function in Khulna on July 26 last. He said AI can generate a massive volume of misinformation and disinformation in some cases, which disrupt the election campaigns completely. This is a modern threat of the digital era, which is more dangerous than weapons, he added. In his latest remarks on September 28, the CEC reiterated that the Commission has been working seriously to fight the abuse of AI, misinformation and disinformation on social media during the upcoming national election. “We’ve been seriously working on this issue for a long time. InshAllah, we’ll develop a central communication cell. We’re fully aware of the consequences of abuse of social media and AI,” he said. Senior election officers at a conference at Nirbachan Bhaban on September 27 last also raised the issue saying that they must fight the abuse of AI and social media to ensure a congenial atmosphere in the upcoming election.    

Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin on Sunday said the Election Commission has been seriously working to fight the abuse of artificial intelligence (AI), misinformation and disinformation on social media during the upcoming national election slated for February next. “We’ve been seriously working on this issue for a long time. InshAllah, we’ll develop a central communication cell. We’re fully aware of the consequences of abuse of social media and AI,” he said. The CEC made the remarks while delivering concluding speech at the EC’s dialogue with civil society representatives at Nirbachan Bhaban in the city’s Agargaon area. With the talks, the Election Commission opened a series of dialogues with different stakeholders ahead of the next general election planned to be held in early February 2026. He said many good suggestions came out from this discussion. “We’ll try to implement these, which are possible for us.” Noting that the Election Commission has brought back its authority to cancel the election of an entire constituency, (which was taken away in 2023), the CEC said, “If we see any problem, we’ll cancel the election of the whole constituency immediately.” He said the Commission will later arrange the polls at the constituency by deploying a huge number of security members. Nasir Uddin, in his introductory speech, said the EC is making strong progress to ensure a free, fair and credible national election. “We have already moved far ahead in making the necessary preparations for holding this election in a fair and proper manner. We are committed to delivering a free, fair and credible election. Our honourable Chief Adviser has also expressed the same,” he said. Focusing on the progress of electoral preparations, Nasir Uddin said since assuming office on November 24, 2024, the current Commission has completed a number of tasks keeping eye on the upcoming 13th parliamentary polls. The Commission has updated the voter list, amended the RPO (Representation of the People Order) and revised the electoral code of conduct. The EC worked on amendments on a total of nine laws. “Our procurement process has also advanced,” he added. Turning to the EC’s dialogue, the CEC said, “We sincerely believe that today’s discussion will play an important role in making the upcoming election fair, beautiful and acceptable.” On the postal balloting system for expatriate Bangladeshis, he said there has been a postal balloting system in the law. “It has been in the book, but not in practice,” he said. Although the rights of expatriates were recognised in the past, no effective mechanism existed for them to exercise their franchise, said the CEC. No room for confusion over JaPa’s registration, symbol: presidium member Rezaul “We are now working vigorously to introduce IT-supported postal ballots for expatriates. After extensive studies and research, the Commission has developed the IT-supported postal ballot system,” he said. Nasir Uddin added that the Commission is working on arrangements for out-of-country voting as well as ensuring the franchise of those engaged in election duty on polling day. “Almost a million people are involved in the electoral process. They cannot vote. Returning officers and presiding officers cannot vote. We will address it, InshAllah, and ensure the voting rights of all,” he assured. He said arrangements will also be made for prisoners, government officials away from their constituencies during polling. These initiatives will become milestones for the Election Commission, he added. Election commissioners Abdur Rahmanel Masud, Tahmida Ahmad, Md Anwarul Islam Sarker and Brig Gen (retd) Abdul Fazal Md Sanaullah were present at the discussion moderated by EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed. Among the representatives of the civil society, former caretaker government adviser Rasheda K Chowdhury, former ambassador M Humayun Kabir, Dhaka University’s Mass Communication and Journalism Professor Robaet Ferdous, Vice Chancellor of Chittagong University Dr Muhammad Yeahia Akhter, Osmani Centre for Peace and Security Studies Lt Gen (retd) Md Mahfuzur Rahman and Police Reform Commission member (Student representative) Zarif Rahman attended the dialogue. Later in the afternoon, the Commission will hold talks with eminent educationists and professors at the same venue. In the electoral roadmap unveiled last month, the Commission said the dialogues with stakeholders—including political parties, civil society members, media persons, observers, election experts and July movement activists—would begin in the last week of September and be completed within one and a half months.

Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury on Sunday warned that tougher action will be taken against those spreading rumours or inciting communal unrest on social media centring Durga Puja. The adviser came up with the warning while briefing reporters after a meeting of the Core Committee on Law and Order at the Secretariat. He said that there will be 33,355 Puja mandaps across the country this year, nearly an increase by over 1000 compared to the past year. To ensure security, Ansar members have been deployed since September 24 and will remain on duty until October 2, he said, adding that nearly one lakh security personnel, including Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) platoons have been deployed for the Puja security. Besides, seven members from each Puja committee will perform round-the-clock duty, while some 80,000 volunteers assigned by the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs have been linked through the NTMC app for community-level vigilance, he said. Prof Yunus extends greetings to Hindu community on Durga Puja Nearly 70,000 police personnel are also engaged alongside intelligence surveillance at vulnerable temples, said the adviser, adding, “Rumour-mongers and communal instigators on social media will face strict action. We have already received reports of such attempts in different areas.” Responding to a query, he said, “Chief Adviser has already informed the UN that elections will be held in February. We are preparing our law-and-order measures keeping that in mind.” On possible sabotage during Puja, the adviser dismissed concerns saying that there is no threat. No security threat during Durga Puja: Home Adviser “I personally visited mandaps in Dhaka, Narayanganj and Munshiganj and found no sign of unrest. A handful of fascist collaborators are trying to spread panic, but they will not succeed,” Jahangir Alam added.

The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Wednesday highlighted how the role of traditional media as a “gatekeeper” has eroded in the age of smartphones and social platforms. While mainstream news outlets avoided showing the moment Kirk was shot, graphic videos of the attack were available almost instantly online — from multiple angles, in slow-motion and real time — and were viewed by millions on platforms including X, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Truth Social. Kirk was gunned down during a public event at a Utah college campus in front of hundreds of people, many of whom were filming on their phones. On X, videos showed the direct impact of the bullet, while others captured his remarks just before the shooting, reportedly about gun violence. For generations, newspapers and broadcasters exercised editorial control over violent imagery. But in today’s fragmented media landscape, such restraint has little effect. The viral spread of the Kirk video demonstrated how fast images now circulate beyond the oversight of newsrooms. The speed shocked many. In New York, a college professor recalled her teenage sons texting her about Kirk’s death after school, convinced by the video that he could not have survived. Others online pleaded for people not to share the footage, citing the pain for Kirk’s family. Tech companies responded cautiously. YouTube said it removed some graphic clips and restricted others to adult users. Meta applied warning labels on Facebook and Instagram, while X offered no immediate comment. The episode echoed earlier challenges, such as when Facebook struggled with livestreams of mass shootings. Some blurred versions of the video appeared in outlets like TMZ and the New York Post, but most traditional media stuck to showing the moments before and after the attack. Experts said this caution still matters — both to protect audiences and to signal what should be stigmatized rather than normalized. Yet with the images already spreading widely, the episode underscored the challenges of a polarized country grappling with graphic violence in the digital age. “We are broken, and potentially beyond repair,” CNN’s David Chalian observed.

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Saturday said the audio clip circulated on social media in the name of Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury involving Gono Parishad Odhikar leader Nurul Haque Nur is ‘fake or AI-generated’. The fabricated 25-second audio clip shared from multiple accounts including one named ‘Ismail Chowdhury Samrat’ attempted to show the adviser instructing an anonymous police officer regarding Nur, said a statement of the Home Ministry. The ministry clarified that the voice in the clip does not belong to the adviser but is an artificially generated or distorted version. Anyone familiar with the adviser’s voice can easily understand that it is not his voice, the statement said. The ministry said such false and misleading content misinforms the public, spreads rumours and undermines social order and the rule of law. The Ministry of Home Affairs strongly protests the creation and circulation of such fabricated audio recordings and the responsible people will be brought under strict legal action, it said. The ministry also cautioned against making or spreading any fake audio or content on social media and warned that legal action will be taken against those involved in such activities.

A proposed ban on social media accounts for minors under 18 in Texas has stalled, as state lawmakers failed to hold a critical vote ahead of a looming deadline, likely ending the push for what would have been one of the strictest measures of its kind in the U.S. The bill, which had already passed the Republican-led Texas House, sought to go beyond Florida’s restrictions on social media use by children under 14. By comparison, Australia has implemented a ban on users under 16. However, momentum behind the Texas legislation faltered in the state Senate late in the session, with lawmakers facing a weekend deadline to pass bills and send them to Republican Governor Greg Abbott. Abbott has not publicly expressed support or opposition to the proposal, which drew strong resistance from tech industry groups and free speech advocates, who argued it would violate constitutional rights. “This bill was the best way to protect children in this state,” said Republican Representative Jared Patterson, who sponsored the legislation, on Wednesday. The Texas legislative session concludes on Monday, leaving little time for the bill to advance. If enacted, the measure would have marked another major attempt by states to regulate when and how minors access social media. Texas is home to a growing number of major tech firms, including Elon Musk-owned X (formerly Twitter). Earlier this week, Governor Abbott signed a separate bill into law requiring Apple and Google to verify users' ages in app stores and obtain parental consent for minors to download apps or make in-app purchases — a move similar to legislation passed in Utah earlier this year. The proposed Texas social media ban is part of a broader, bipartisan effort across the U.S. to curb the harmful effects of social media on children. Critics accuse tech platforms of using addictive features to hook young users, failing to prevent exposure to harmful content, and inadequately addressing online abuse. A December 2024 Pew Research Center report found that nearly half of American teens report being online "constantly," despite growing concerns about the mental health impact of excessive screen time and social media use. The American Psychological Association has urged both lawmakers and tech companies to take steps to protect young users, warning that social media poses significant risks to children and teens who struggle with impulse control and the ability to disconnect. Various states and countries have attempted to implement similar safeguards, though not all efforts have withstood legal scrutiny. In 2024, a federal judge temporarily blocked Utah’s groundbreaking law that required social media companies to verify user ages and impose limitations on minors' accounts. California, home to many of the world’s biggest tech companies, will ban platforms from offering addictive feeds to children without parental permission starting in 2027. Meanwhile, a new law in New York allows parents to prevent algorithm-driven content suggestions from reaching their children on social media platforms.   

In today’s hyper-connected world, children are growing up with screens as constant companions—scrolling, sharing, and seeking approval online. While social media offers scopes of connection and creativity, its darker effects often go unnoticed. Minor shifts in behaviour, mood, and daily habits may indicate underlying emotional distress. Recognising these early warning signs is crucial to safeguarding kids’ mental health and overall well-being. Let’s look closely at the red flags that social media-addicted children may reveal, which is more than just screen fatigue. 7 Red Flags That Signal Social Media Affects Your Child’s Mental Wellbeing . Irritability, Anger, Anxiety, and Depression Emotional turbulence is often one of the first signs that social networks are impacting a child’s mental well-being. A child who once handled challenges with calm may suddenly snap over minor inconveniences—like being asked to pause their screen time. This shift is more than a passing phase. Excessive digital platform exposure can condition a kid’s brain to expect instant gratification. Consequently, it gets difficult to tolerate delays or engage in slower-paced activities like reading or studying. The flood of fast, dopamine-triggering content rewires emotional responses, often replacing patience with frustration. As a result, parents might find their child increasingly restless, easily angered, and emotionally unbalanced even outside the screen. Read more: How to Keep Your Baby Comfortable and Healthy While Using Air Conditioner or Cooler Losing Track of Time When children spend long hours online, it’s easy for them to lose a sense of time. What often begins as a quick scroll can spiral into hours of passive consumption, especially on apps designed to encourage endless engagement. This disconnection from time awareness can quietly lead to neglect of daily responsibilities such as homework, family interactions, or personal hygiene. The 2025 report from Common Sense Media reveals that children under 8 now spend an average of 2 hours and 27 minutes each day engaging with screen-based media. TikTok dominates their screen time with nearly two hours a day, making it the top platform among this age group. These numbers point to a growing trend where time management skills erode as children become immersed in the virtual world. Social Withdrawal As children spend more time scrolling through digital feeds, their connection with real-world interactions often begins to fade. Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, in his book The Anxious Generation (2024), likens social media to a firehose of addictive content. It displaces physical activity and in-person play—fundamental elements of healthy childhood development. Read more: Summer Tips for School-going Children Children using online media for three or more hours a day often avoid eye contact and struggle to express emotions clearly. Moreover, they speak in incomplete sentences during face-to-face interactions. For instance, a child who once eagerly engaged in family dinners might now retreat to their room, avoiding conversation entirely. This pattern of withdrawal isn’t shyness-—it’s discomfort, shaped by a digital world that rarely demands verbal or emotional expression. Misguided Self-esteem Virtual communities often act as distorted mirrors, shaping how children perceive their worth. Constantly exposed to highlight reels of peers’ lives, many begin to question their own value. According to ElectroIQ's Social Media Mental Health Statistics, 52% of users report feeling worse about their lives after seeing friends’ posts. 43% of teenagers admit feeling pressure to post content, driven by the hope of gaining likes or comments. Read more: How to Protect Children from Electric Shocks This chase for validation can have serious consequences. Children may develop body image issues or body dissatisfaction, comparing themselves to edited or filtered content. To gain approval online, they might resort to risky behaviour. For example, a teen might post provocative or reckless videos for attention and digital praise. Losing Attention in Offline Tasks Children nowadays are increasingly struggling to stay focused on tasks that require sustained concentration, like reading, studying, or completing chores. SambaRecovery's report highlighted that children’s average attention span is only 29.61 seconds. Over time, this figure showed a significant 27.41% decline during the continuous performance test. This trend mirrors parental concerns- 79% of parents, as cited by Common Sense Media 2025, fear that heavy screen exposure is eroding their child's ability to concentrate. This erosion is often visible in daily life. Constant notifications, videos, and scrolling content condition young minds to crave quick bursts of stimulation. It makes slow, offline tasks feel dull and unrewarding. Over time, this affects not just academics but also a child’s overall cognitive stamina and productivity. Read more: Parenting a Teenager? 10 Tips to be Their Best Friend Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO) This is a powerful psychological driver that affects emotional health and can be especially damaging. This feeling stems from the perception that others are enjoying experiences, events, or interactions without them. It's amplified through the constant visibility of others’ lives online. For example, a kid might see classmates hanging out without him/her, sparking feelings of exclusion, sadness, or even jealousy. These emotions, although silently endured, can create deep emotional turbulence. FOMO intensifies anxiety and self-doubt, fuelling compulsive social network checking as children try to stay “in the loop” at all times. Increased Secrecy and Refusal to Go Outside When children begin to maintain excessive secrecy, it’s often a red flag that something deeper is affecting their well-being. If your child has previously been open but suddenly becomes reluctant to share details about their day or their online activities, it could signal emotional distress. Secrecy often indicates that they are hiding something troubling, like exposure to cyberbullying or other online dangers. According to social media mental health statistics, 87% of teens report being cyberbullied. Notably, 36.4% of girls report being affected by online harassment, compared to 31.4% of boys. Read more: The Importance of Instilling Leadership Skills in Your Child This constant exposure to negativity can cause children to avoid going outside, preferring the perceived safety of digital spaces. Over time, this behaviour can lead to a loss of trust and emotional isolation, as children avoid engaging in conversations. Wrapping Up These 7 warning signs reflect social media's negative impact on children's mental and emotional health. Excessive screen time can cause them to lose track of time and decrease their attention span, neglecting important tasks and responsibilities. Over time, this often results in social withdrawal. The constant comparison to others online fosters misguided self-esteem and worsens their mental well-being. Furthermore, children may struggle with FOMO, which heightens their feelings of inadequacy. As they struggle with these emotions, many develop increased secrecy, distancing themselves from the real world. All of these factors contribute to heightened emotional distress, often manifesting as irritability, anger, anxiety, and depression. Read more: Bullying in School: How to Protect Children and Deal with the Issue

The rapid evolution of technology has allowed everyone access to an unprecedented world of knowledge, but it has also paved the way for a rise in network-based crimes, or cybercrimes, many of which are centered around the internet.  In Bangladesh, social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Telegram have become increasingly instrumental in facilitating criminal activities, ranging from identity theft and fraud to online gambling and blackmail. As more people turn to the internet for communication and business, criminals have seized the opportunity to exploit these platforms for nefarious purposes.  The most common cybercrimes in Bangladesh today include identity hacking, fake account creation, online multi-level marketing scams and gambling. Blackmailing on Social Media One of the most distressing types of cybercrime is blackmailing.   Shobha (not her real name), 25, experienced this firsthand when she was in a long-distance relationship with a man she met on Facebook. What began as friendly exchanges soon escalated into inappropriate requests for revealing photos during video calls. Shobha, trusting the man, complied. But soon after, his behaviour took a dark turn. He began demanding large sums of money and when she refused, he threatened to publish her photos and videos online.  AI now capable of self-replication; scientists fear ‘red line’ crossed The situation left her traumatised, but with the help of a senior mentor and the Cyber Crime Department in Bangladesh, Shobha was able to have the images removed from the man's account. However, the emotional scars of the incident remained long after. Fraud Through Fake Facebook Pages Another rampant issue is online fraud, particularly through fake Facebook pages. Anik (a pseudonym), for example, ordered a pair of branded shoes from a seemingly trustworthy Facebook page that featured glowing reviews and a large following.  The page required advance payment, which Anik made in good faith. However, weeks passed, and the shoes never arrived. Despite multiple attempts to contact the seller, Anik was left empty-handed and out of pocket. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident—many victims fall prey to similar scams daily. Honey Trap Targeting Young Men Perhaps one of the most concerning cybercrimes that has gained traction in recent years is the “honey trap.”  Deputy Commissioner Md Najmul Islam, former Additional Deputy Commissioner of the Cyber Crime Department of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), explained that this scam typically begins on Facebook, then shifts to WhatsApp, where video calls are made.  The scammer, posing as a woman, will engage the victim in conversation and eventually ask them to make video calls in private settings like bathrooms. The ultimate goal of the scam is to extort money by threatening to release compromising videos of the victim.  The perpetrators often operate from outside Bangladesh, with many cases originating from India.  The mental and emotional toll on victims has been devastating, with some driven to extreme measures, including suicide, due to the relentless blackmailing. Trump signs executive order on developing artificial intelligence 'free from ideological bias' Growing Online Gambling  In recent years, online gambling has become a dangerous addiction, especially among the youth in Bangladesh.  The lure of quick earnings, combined with the easy accessibility of gambling platforms via smartphones, has made it a serious problem.  Deputy Commissioner Shahjahan Hossain of the Cyber Crime Division of DMP pointed out that while laws to prevent public gambling exist, their enforcement remains weak. “We lack specific legislation addressing cyber gambling. However, combating these issues is a priority under the government’s new initiatives,” he said. The dangerous allure of online gambling is further exacerbated by the lack of regulation, which has led to widespread addiction and financial loss among young people. Instagram: A Hotbed for Harassment  Social media platforms like Instagram have also become breeding grounds for cybercrimes.  Najmul Islam explained that one of the most common offenses on Instagram is cyberstalking. Perpetrators use the platform to harass individuals, sometimes by exploiting the personal information they find on victims' profiles to locate and intimidate them in real life. Another prevalent crime on Instagram is fraud, where criminals use the platform to advertise fake products or services. These fraudulent ads often lead to significant financial losses for unsuspecting users. Motive Behind Cybercrimes The driving force behind most of these cybercrimes is the desire to make or extort money. Whether through blackmail, fraud, or online gambling, the perpetrators are motivated by financial gain, often at the expense of innocent individuals. Top Free Prompt Engineering Courses Online in 2025 A Call for Tougher Laws As these cybercrimes continue to escalate, experts are calling for stronger laws and more robust enforcement.  The government of Bangladesh has made strides in addressing cybercrime through new initiatives, but the complexity and ever-evolving nature of these crimes make it a constant battle. Cybercrime may have its roots in technology, but its impact is very real—affecting victims emotionally, financially and psychologically, experts said.  As social media platforms continue to play a significant role in daily life, it is crucial for both the public and the authorities to remain vigilant and proactive in combating these modern-day crimes, sufferers said.

Pakistan's opposition said Thursday the government is seeking to further suppress freedom of speech a day after it proposed sweeping controls on social media that could include blocking platforms and sending users to prison for spreading disinformation. The Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, introduced in the National Assembly by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar on Wednesday, would create an agency with the power to order “unlawful and offensive content” blocked from social media, and to ban individuals and organizations from social media, AP reports. Social media platforms would be required to register with the new Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority, and those failing to comply with the law could face temporary or permanent bans. The law also makes spreading disinformation a criminal offense, punishable by three years in prison and a fine of 2 million rupees ($7,150). Landslides, flash floods in Indonesia kill 17, missing 8 The move comes nearly a year after Pakistan blocked the X platform ahead of an election that the opposition party of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan says was rigged. X is still blocked in the country, although many people use virtual private networks to access it, like in other countries with tight internet controls. Khan has a huge following on social media, especially X, where supporters frequently circulate demands for his release. Khan has been behind bars since 2023, when he was arrested for graft. Khan's party also uses social media to organize demonstrations. The leader of the opposition denounced the proposed legislation, saying it was aimed at further suppressing freedom of speech. Omar Ayub Khan, who is not related to the imprisoned former premier, said the bill could “lay a foundation for the suppression of voices advocating for constitutional rights”. Man sentenced to life for rape, murder of doctor in India The new agency would be able to order the immediate blocking of unlawful content targeting judges, the armed forces, parliament or provincial assemblies. The law also forbids uploading remarks from parliament that have been struck from the record. Pakistani media has faced growing censorship in recent years. Journalists have said they face state pressure to avoid using Imran Khan's name, and most TV stations have begun referring to him only as the “founder of the PTI" party. Human rights defenders and journalists' unions have vowed to oppose the law, but with the government holding a majority, its passage is all but assured. Afzal Butt, president of the Federal Union of Journalists, said the law was an attempt to suppress the media, social media and journalists. The government says the law is necessary to limit the spread of disinformation.