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Save your child from porn on the web
PARENTS everywhere are concerned about safety of their children who browse the World Wide Web. They may feel it desirable to woo the kids away from the internet lest they fall into the pit of pornography. At the same time, they want their young ones to be perfect in computer usage which is essential in this age of competition.
Surfing the net, you are exposed to downloading a computer virus; having your personal information such as credit card number snatched, and your surfing patterns, demographics and psychographics tracked through cookies.
But aren’t we all exposed to certain dangers when we do simple tasks like taking a bath or going out on the street? All we need to stay safe under all circumstances is, of course, to observe certain precautions.
With children, it is different. With their limited experience they are exposed to greater dangers. There is danger lurking out there, and the young ones must be informed, guided and supervised for their safety.
Just as children are told not to trust strangers on the street, they must also be warned that it’s wise to observe the same precaution on the information superhighway where it is most likely that they will run across pornography.
Workshop
In Karachi, recently, the Child Rights and Abuse Committee (CRAC) of the Pakistan Paediatrics Association (Sindh Chapter) held a workshop on “Protecting children from pornography on internet”. Earlier, a workshop on this topic was held in Lahore.
The participants of the workshop included paediatricians, teachers, media professionals, cyber cafes owners, and a representative of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority. Interestingly, internet service, providers who were invited by the organizers, chose to keep away.
The main highlight of the workshop was the presentation of PPA Sindh Chapter President Dr Aisha Mehnaz. It was based on a research study on “internet pornography and its impact of children”. The presentation was followed by group discussions and recommendations.
Dr Mehnaz pointed out that 50 per cent of sex offenders use pornography, which leads to addiction, and increase in incidence of venereal diseases.
There are other consequences too. According to a study, habitual male consumers of common pornography appear to be at a greater risk of becoming sexually callous towards females. This results in rise in crimes against women. Dr Mehnaz pointed out, “Incidence of rape has increased in countries where pornography is legalized.”
She said studies have shown that teenagers exposed to pornography face problems such as hypersexualization, addiction to porn, isolation and perversion. Premature exposure to hardcore sexuality hinders mental and moral development of children.
“When children experience reality beyond their readiness, they have no means of processing it intellectually or emotionally. At that time they may bury the experience in the their unconscious where it will lurk in the shadows, haunting them for the rest of their lives,” she said.
A research report says adolescents are vulnerable to accepting media portrayal of sexuality. For instance, after viewing TV channels such as MTV, adolescents are more likely to approve of premarital sex than adolescents not having viewed MTV (Youth and Review:1986), she disclosed.
Chemical response
Explaining how pornography affects biological and neurological response, Dr Mehnaz said, “Pornographic images stimulate release of the adrenal hormone epinephrine, locking memories in the brain. That explains why individual remember porn images seen years ago.
“Besides, opiods released by nerve endings in response to pleasure reinforce the body’s desire to repeat the process.”
She said clinical psychologists agree that pornography produces addiction . . . a “desire to keep coming back to porn images”.
Viewing pornographic images escalates need for “rougher images for sex to produce the same sexual effects”. It creates desensitization as material once seen as shocking and taboo increasingly becomes acceptable. It also initiates a desire to act out or perform the behaviour viewed.
Survey Warning signs! Monitoring tips for parents
Dr Aisha Mehnaz presented the findings of a survey conducted under the “Save the children” programme. A total of 50 net clubs were covered in the survey carried out in Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar.
Most of the net cafés were located in busy market places; the owners had kept a low profile; each café had 10-20 PCs. Each PC was kept in a separate cubicle covered from all sides. Of those who patronized these net cafés, 70 per cent were aged 18-30 years, 15-20 per cent less than 18 years, and 10 per cent were above 30 years. An occasional female used the facility.
When asked about the basic purpose of their visit to cyber cafés, the users gave different answers that ranged from “chatting” to “watching pornographic websites.”
Some said they visited the place for “checking emails,” “visiting websites for greeting cards,” “visiting sites for admission forms/jobs,” “watching movies on CDs,” or “visiting educational sites.”
Fifty per cent of those who visited cyber cafés owned personal computers at home. Thirty per cent visitors surveyed said they had come with their parents’ permission. They cited the following reasons for visiting cyber cafes: parents do not allow them to use internet at home; friends ask them to go for it; privacy not available at home; chatting; playing online games. While 70 per cent of children interviewed could name a porn site, 50 per cent actually admitted to having been visiting such sites. To most of them, friends directed to these sites.
Interestingly, club owners also offered credit facility to regular visitors who run out of cash.
The owners told the survey team that people 18-30 years old visited their joint; 20 per cent of them children were under 15. They were there to view local and foreign porn sites, play cyber games, listen to songs, or check email. Most frequent visitors were students from computer classes.
To curb viewing of porn sites on the net, the study recommends the following measures:
1. Pornographic material must be filtered at ISP level;
2. Owners should be prohibited to show movies at internet clubs;
3. Children under 12 should not be allowed in without accompanying parents/guardian;
4. Legislation must be enacted to control internet clubs;
5. A code of conduct must be formulated for internet clubs;
6. The CRC protocol, specifically dealing with child pornography, must be implemented;
7. Various laws must be enacted to deal with the various forms of child pornography and exposure of children to porno site on net.
The study also suggests that parents must keep a watchful eye on their children’s activities; involve and supervise their internet exposure; and guide them in selection of software and web sites on the net.
It was also suggested that internet club owners should specify computers equipped with filtering software to be used by children. Besides, more entertainment sites should be made locally in English and Urdu; and regular teaching sessions held on the web.
By and large, group recommendations were identical to the proposals suggested in the Child Rights and Abuse Committee study. Besides, they called for community participation in effectively monitoring cyber clubs and net cafés.
At the beginning of the workshop, Dr Naeem Zafar, who had come all the way from Lahore to attend this important event, explained the activities of the committee. He informed the audience that the committee had so far conducted six national conferences on child abuse prevention, organized community awareness seminars, and has held symposiums on this topic in all annual conferences of Pakistan Paediatric Association.
The committee has conducted scientific research and evaluation studies. It has also developed, curriculum on child abuse. The curriculum is aimed at healthcare providers, teachers and other service providers
The workshop concluded with appreciative remarks by the eminent paediatrician Professor D S Akram.
The writer
Heed these warning signs that show your child may have a problem with pornography on the internet.
• Your child is hiding disks.
• Your child spends a lot of of time on the internet or is online late into the night.
• Your child uses computer files that end in .gif or .jpg. These picture files may contain the latest cosmology photos or pornographic material.
• Your child quickly changes the computer screen when you enter the room.
• You notice changes in your child’s behaviour (secretiveness, inappropriate sexual knowledge, sleeping problems, etc).
1. Become more computer literate; develop knowledge about internet.
2. Place your computer in an area of your home where you can easily monitor your child’s internet activity.
3. Talk with your kids about their online friends and activities.
4. Implement parental controls available on your online service, install protective software on your home computer, or use a clean ISP.
5. Monitor the amount of time your child spends on the internet
6. Establish online rules and an agreement with your child about internet use while at home or away from home.
7. Watch for changes in your child’s behaviour (secretiveness, inappropriate sexual knowledge, sleeping problems, etc).
8. Don’t permit your child to have an online profile.
9. Monitor the amount of time your child spends on the internet, and at what times of day. Excessive time online, specially at night, may indicate a problem.
10. Remind your child that internet use is a privilege, not a right.
