THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a proactive move to address the complexities of the artificial intelligence (AI) era, the state has come out with a first-of-its-kind protocol for schools to ensure a secure digital learning environment and robust cyber defences for students.
The ‘Cyber Safety Protocol 2026’ has been developed by Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE) under the general education department, through a meticulous analysis of emerging AI-driven challenges and cyber crimes. It also aims to provide targeted directives for institutional heads, teachers, and parents.
The initiative encompasses 13 core objectives, including fostering awareness regarding the risks of sharing confidential data with generative AI, cultivating critical thinking towards digital content, identifying misinformation, and nurturing responsible digital citizenship.
Further, it defines nine key operational areas also, ranging from academic AI integration and administrative data management to the maintenance of secure online learning spaces.
“The protocol serves as a strategic extension of the ‘Sarvam AI Mayam’ training provided to six lakh parents this year, and will be supported by ongoing training sessions and cyber safety clinics for the entire educational community,” KITE CEO K Anvar Sadath said.
The protocol tasks heads of schools with 17 specific mandates, such as ensuring uninterrupted, teacher-supervised internet access during school hours and establishing dedicated school cyber security committees led by a designated coordinator.
To protect student privacy, the protocol mandates ‘privacy by design’ principles, specifically advising against real-time CCTV monitoring via private servers in classrooms.
Furthermore, to bridge the digital divide, teachers are instructed to avoid home assignments that mandates internet access. But they must provide school-based facilities for students who cannot otherwise access programs like ‘Key to Entrance’.
The protocol also prohibits the use of unverified online data during instruction and the collection of sensitive student information via social media platforms.
For students, the protocol outlines 25 essential safety guidelines, such as identifying suspicious links, protecting live locations and private data on social media, and managing camera or chat permissions in online gaming. It emphasises the importance of recognising algorithmic bias in AI-generated content and strictly prohibits the use of AI for academic manipulation. Students are encouraged to prioritise independent problem-solving over a total reliance on automated tools.
Parents are provided with 16 actionable guidelines focusing on screen time management, understanding the long-term impact of digital footprints, and utilising monitoring tools like Google Family Link. To support this, KITE offers specialised cyber security and AI literacy programmes for families.
The protocol integrates protections from the IT Act, 2000; DPDP Act, 2023; and, Pocso Act, while incorporating 2026 IT rule amendments specifically addressing synthetically generated information (SGI).
The document also details eleven general safety measures, such as two-factor authentication and secure downloading practices, alongside a clear roadmap for reporting grievances. It defines 20 major cyber threats, including deepfakes, AI grooming, and “digital arrest”, providing both legal contexts and precautionary measures.
The full text of the protocol is available in both Malayalam and English on the official KITE portal www.kite.kerala.gov.in.