Parents Want Schools to Teach Risk of Pornography to Children

Children should be given adequate guidance regarding the hidden risks of pornography at schools, a new parental survey reveals. 

Across the world, computers and smartphones have emerged as the most popular electronic gadgets among the younger generation. In addition to keeping children updated with the latest in the world of technology, these gadgets also serve to expose them to unwanted sexual content at a young age. Parents often get concerned with this new trend, and wonder about the right age to start a conversation, or the right way to introduce the topic.

A significant number of parents (83 percent) who participated in a survey conducted by the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) strongly believed in the school's ability to teach their children about the risks of pornography and protect them against it. Regarding the right time to start a conversation, many parents (42 percent) were of the same opinion and wanted to start the education as early as possible, by age 5 or 6, when children normally start exploring the Internet.

Apart from that, 90 percent of the parents demanded the introduction of a new system that will automatically block all adult content from being accessible to children while browsing the net.

"There is no place for explicit materials in the classroom or school, even in the course of teaching about their dangers, but many young people are exposed to such materials on the internet and phones. In the face of this young people need to know how to cope with and avoid these distorted views of relationships," Russell Hobby, general secretary of NAHT, said in a news release. "It is reassuring to see that parents accept that schools are an essential part of the support network for their children. In a fast-paced communications environment that can present pupils with confusing messages, few parents believe there is an option to pretend it isn't happening."

Previous studies have shown that many children and teens involve in risky online activities like accessing online violence and sexual topics without parents' knowledge. According to reports, about four out of five children regularly access porn online, and more than a quarter of young patients are undergoing treatments for their addiction to online pornography. Many reports have also shown young children using social media like Facebook, and due to their innocence and lack of experience, they fall victim to many pedophiles and criminals.

In one such incident, May 2012, a 12-year-old boy from the U.K. underwent court proceedings for raping and sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl. He reported the pornographic images he watched as inspiring him to rape the girl several times.

Apart from that, according to recent reports, children can be accidently exposed to porn on the net. In February this year, Kaspersky Lab, based in the U.K., found that allowing children to watch videos on YouTube is not safe, and that children watching their favorite episodes of television programs like "Dora the Explorer" can be exposed to inappropriate adult content accidentally at any time, including nudity and violence.