Can your child find porn on the Internet?
Lee Rondganger
November 08 2006 at 04:38AM
An alarming number of South African school children have easy access to pornography and are actively seeking out such images. This is according to a survey conducted by the Film and Publications Board (FPB), which revealed that seven in 10 Gauteng children admitted to watching pornography and 36 percent of those surveyed said they had watched a porn movie in the previous month. A survey conducted among nearly 1 000 school children between 13 and 17 has shown that 67 percent of them have watched a pornographic film. While 65 percent of the children say they were motivated by curiosity, an alarming 45 percent said they had watched a porn movie more than four times.
The survey - Internet Usage and Exposure of South African Youth to Pornography - was conducted in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape among 934 high school children, who were asked to fill in a comprehensive questionnaire about Internet behaviour.
'He wanted me to send a pornographic picture'The findings of the survey revealed that the majority of children (78 percent) used the Internet for educational purposes. Other uses included downloading songs, pictures and games (50 percent); sending emails to friends or family members (31 percent); while 17 percent of them participated in chatrooms and six percent used the Internet to access porn. Some 23 percent of those who frequented chatrooms revealed that they had been approached by a stranger who made sexually explicit suggestions or requested intimate information. When asked what upset them or made them uncomfortable about such approaches, one teen said: "He wanted me to send a pornographic picture." Another teen said: "He asked me to become a stripper at a club and be naked every day." Another said the predator wanted her to meet him at his house naked.
On a positive note, the survey revealed that the majority of the children (78 percent) did not give out any personal information, while 22 percent admitted giving out information such as their name or address to strangers during online discussions. In Gauteng, where 340 pupils were surveyed, 70 percent - the highest in the country - admitted watching porn. When asked whether they thought it was harmful, one answered: "What we see happens in everyday life. There is no reason to say it is harmful." Another said: "It affects your school work and you can't stop thinking about it."
'He asked me to become a stripper at a club'
The FPB warned that with technological advances and cellphones overtaking functions of the computer, the youth now had greater access to sexually explicit material. "Parents face several dangers. A lot of media attention has been devoted to giving out personal information and 'stranger danger', although it seems that this is neglected by parents. They need to be actively involved and aware of their children's online activity," it said. Patrick Hoar of Kids Online, a website designed to give parents advice on the Internet, said his research had revealed that the biggest users of porn were children aged between 12 and 17. "Many of these kids find these websites by pure accident. My advice to parents is to download a programme like K9, which can block out porn sites and other adult-related sites. It is a free program and will even help parents monitor the sites their children visit."
This article was originally published on page 6 of The Star on November 08, 2006
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