Unsupervised access to internet victimizes children: Activists

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Wed, 06/14/2006 1:21 PM

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A lack of government regulation in the communications technology sector means children can continue to freely access pornography over the Internet, a cyber watchdog, Save the Indonesian Children Alliance (ASA).

The survey by the Kita dan Buah Hati Foundation of 1,705 children in Jakarta and its satellite cities; Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi; showed 80 percent of children aged between nine and 12 years old had been exposed to pornographic materials through the Internet or on video disks. The survey was carried out in last year.

IT experts have repeatedly warned parents that greater access to the Internet increases the likelihood of their children being exposed to cyber porn.

Wigrantoro from the Indonesian Infocom Society said for this reason, computers should be placed in open view, such as in the living room, instead of in children's bedrooms.

""Along with direct supervision, parents can install filter software on their computers to block sites containing pornographic materials,"" he said.

However, even with consistent monitoring at home, there is no guarantee that children will be safe from pornography.

In Indonesia, more than 50 percent of users access the Internet in cyber cafes, IT kiosks, or in their workplaces or schools, according to an AC Nielson poll.

A survey of children in the Greater Jakarta area by Jejak Kaki Internet Protection, a local Internet security company, indicates that 27 percent of children have visited porn sites on the web, with 97 percent saying they knew how to access pornographic material. Sixty-seven percent said they would access cyber porn if they had the chance.

Wigrantoro said the government needed to regulate companies providing Internet services to rid local cyberspace of pornographic sites.

""The government should push Internet service providers to block porn sites,"" he said. ""A lack of regulations is likely to encourage providers to overlook the negative impacts of pornography.""

In a survey last year, the Internet Filter Review company estimated there were 4.2 million pornographic websites on the Internet worldwide and said pornographic content could amount to up to 12 percent of the total content on websites. In Indonesia, an estimated 30 new websites containing pornography come online every day, adding to the estimated 1,100 local sites.

ASA's Inke Maris said current child protection laws did not punish people for exposing children to pornography.

""Parents should be cautious about introducing their children to information technology,"" she said. ""Televisions, computers and cell phones all support the spread of pornographic materials.""

Inke said the many sex crimes committed by children against children here, which were often widely exposed in the media, mostly occurred after the perpetrators looked at pornography.

""Children do not have a way to satisfy their lusts, while adults have their spouses for release,"" she said. (02)

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