Anmol Malhotra, a 24-year-old lawyer, has launched Newsahoot, an online news portal that tailors news items for children, so that they, too, may see the real world unfold around them.
The ed-tech startup breaks down complex subjects dominating the headlines to their barebones and transforms them into engaging pieces to cater to three levels – beginner (8-10 years), intermediate (10 to 12 years) and advanced (12 years and above). Newsahoot publishes only one article a day, six days a week, on the most relevant piece of news, be it the political crisis in Maharashtra or the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The website also defines complex words, which helps builds children’s vocabulary according to their reading levels. The article of the day is usually published around 4pm, and subscribers are notified through WhatsApp.
On how he came upon the idea of starting a news portal for children, Malhotra, an alumnus of St John’s High School, Chandigarh, and Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Patiala, says, “Over the last few years, there has been a rise in communalism, violence, and fake news across the world. Traditional news outlets often show news in a manner that may not necessarily be age-appropriate. I have been an avid follower of current affairs for quite some time and have also taught children, which gave me the idea of starting Newsahoot.”
“We got 30 children on board for our beta programme in May, and received a good response from parents. One of them said her son had been asking his elder siblings whether they knew what NATO was, while another said news had become dinner table conversation,” he says.
Malhotra, who at present is working with a team of five, plans to eventually turn the portal into an app-only service. “This will help us be more accessible to our target audience,” he says.