EASY access to adult sites via mobile devices is among reasons why youngsters today become sexually active at a very early age.
Parents and teachers who shared their views with The Vibes all agree that easy internet access via smartphones and computers are a major cause for such negative influences.
“Children today have virtually unrestrained access to all sorts of movies and photos on the internet.
“Almost every teenager has a handphone and laptop, even primary school kids.
“All these devices are equipped with wireless connection, and there is free Wi-Fi access easily available in most malls and cafes,” they said.
To make matters worse, many romance movies these days use popular actors and actresses who help draw these youngsters to their sites.
A teacher, Viviene Ting, 42, said many of these movies have explicit scenes and youngsters who are exposed to this are often influenced and become very curious.
“This curiosity is what often drives them to explore and eventually leads to bigger trouble,” she said.
Back in the old days, she said mobile devices were very expensive and not so easily available as today, thus there was very limited exposure.
However, these days, such devices are cheap and everyone has one, even primary school kids, which is not encouraged, she said.
A mother of three, Flora Jane, 40, said mobile phones are a necessity nowadays.
“I need to give my kids a mobile phone to let them know what time I can pick them up after school, where to meet them and whether they have any extracurricular activities.
“My work schedule is unpredictable, so I need to be able to communicate with my school-going kids.
“Mobile phones are a necessity these days, especially for parents to keep in touch with their children.
“The issue here is for parents to have strict control over how their children use their mobile phones, which I agree can be very difficult at times,” she said.
A mobile phone shop owner admitted that there is no age restriction as to who can buy such devices.
“Even school children in uniforms can easily buy mobile phones. There is no way to stop them,” he said.
He also pointed out that there are many cybercafes that offer uncontrolled use of computers, even to students.
On December 8, it was reported that a survey among teenagers coordinated by the Women Family and Community Development Ministry at the national level found that up to 88% of youngsters aged between 13 and 18 are sexually active.
The highest teen pregnancies were purportedly in Kelantan, Sarawak and Penang.
Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri was taken aback with the findings which also noted that many teens were unaware of contraceptives, sexually transmitted diseases and risks to physical and mental health due to pregnancies. – The Vibes, December 13, 2023.
