Children accessing net pornography

CHILDREN as young as eight are looking at pornography on the internet and one in four eight to 17-year-olds accidentally access porn websites.

Speakers at an ISPCC awareness campaign, held yesterday in Castlebar, Co Mayo, warned parents that children accessing pornography on the internet was a growing problem.

“More could still be done by the internet industry to curb this, because there’s a lot of material on the net that’s unsuitable for children.

“Drugs and alcohol are still the biggest problems among young people but there are plenty reasons to worry about internet safety,” ISPCC spokesperson Paul Gilligan said.

The ISPCC plan to hold awareness days throughout the country to encourage parents to monitor what their children view on the internet. The campaign comes in the wake of a survey carried out by the National Centre for Technology in Education. It found that close to half of all children, 48%, told researchers they were never supervised when online.

Almost four out of five eight to 10 year-olds have internet access where they live, and 67% use the net at home regularly.

The statistics show that 37% of eight to 10 year-olds, 44% of 11-12 year-olds, and 69% of 13 to 14 year-olds are not supervised when on line.

More than a quarter, 27%, of all young people use chatrooms. Some 70% of 13 to 14 year-olds log into these rooms.

Cormac Callanan, spokesperson for the Child Pornography Hotline, said more children are looking at pornography on line. “I don’t know if it’s getting out of control, but it is something that’s happening more,” he said. In the last year the hotline has received in the region of 800 complaints about child pornography.

The ISPCC campaign is also aiming to reduce the number of teenagers abusing drugs and alcohol.

“The biggest single issue facing secondary schools is the use of drugs and alcohol by young people, with Monday morning hangovers a common feature in most secondary schools,” Mr Gilligan said.

Research has shown that 53% have used cannabis, 22% used solvents and 89% have drunk alcohol.

“The purpose of these days is to heighten parents’ and young people’s awareness and to explore the best way families can confront these issues,” Mr Gilligan said.