kochi at a time when the city is gripped by fear regarding the alleged existence of the online social media suicide challenge blue whale the cbse has issued a circular to schools with guidelines to ensure safe usage of internet but schools have raised concerns regarding cbses requirement to instate firewall when providing internet access as instating the facility can be expensive principal of sacred heart school fr anthony m said we have put a firewall protection in our school but installing it cost us over rs 1 lakhfirewalls systems help to protect the computer network from outside interface the circular states that schools must install effective firewalls filter and monitor software mechanisms in all computers and regularly review filtering and blocking policies and procedures various types of unsolicited contents available on the internet must be blocked t p m ibrahim khan president of kerala cbse schools management association said that they appreciate the issue that the circular is trying to raise we have no problems in complying with the guidelines it is clear that such measures should be taken at a time when students are actively engaging in technology and social media but not all schools will be able to implement firewall immediately as it is quite expensive said khan apart from firewall the circular has also made several other recommendations such as sensitising parents about internet safety norms and placing children using the internet to work in highlyvisible areas of the schoolthey have also recommended that schools must draft a policy on the safe use of electronic devices and implement itthere are unverifiable claims that over 100 teenagers killed themselves because of the blue whale challenge but there is no evidence to suggest that the number is real several factchecking websites and media watchdogs have dismissed data on deaths due to lack of evidence