Survey reveals high rate of porn-watching by SA teens
Publish date: 14 May 2008
Issue Number: 1233
Diary: Legalbrief eLaw
Category: Internet
Two-thirds of high school pupils in SA's major cities have watched at least one porn movie, but the figures are much higher for the Internet, according to a report released by the government yesterday.
The report is based on the findings of a survey conducted among more than 1 000 pupils in the 13 to 17-plus age group in randomly selected schools in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg. According to a report on the News24 site, other major findings show 64% of teenagers surveyed had been exposed to pornographic images on the Internet and 81% admitted to seeing such images on friends' cellphones. 'Most pupils (67%) reported having seen a pornographic film... mostly on DVD. More boys (84%) than girls (54%) have watched at least one pornographic film, while a total of 45% reported watching pornographic films regularly.' Released by Deputy Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba, the report is one of three commissioned by a ministerial team on child pornography. Another finds that police and prosecuting teams need specialised technological training to curb such crime with success. It also calls for computers and cellphones to be fitted with filtering software to prevent the dissemination of such material. A third report examines the incidence and impact of 'non-contact sexual abuse' of children through the Internet and cellular phones. Full report on the News24 site Research (PDF file)
