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CHILDREN as young as 12 viewing pornographic internet sites are being exposed to predators who try to meet them in person.
During an investigation by The Herald, a reporter posing as 16-year- old schoolgirl Busi took only five minutes to strike up a sordid telephone conversation with a 54-year-old Durban man she met through a South African porn website.
AUDIO: A Herald reporter pretends to be a schoolgirl on a chat line.
WARNING: AUDIO CONTAINS MATERIAL OF AN EXPLICIT NATURE
Minutes into the conversation the man – known only as Pat – offered to fly to Cape Town to meet “Busi”.
He requested a photograph of her, followed by a nude video.
A Grade 9 pupil in Nelson Mandela Bay said it had become the norm for children to explore pornographic sites through their cellphones.
“We either make fun of whatever we see on these sites, meet people or try out new sexual positions to strengthen our relationships.”
A group of teens aged between 15 and 17 at a local school said they went onto these websites for entertainment and to gather knowledge which they would later use when with their partners.
“The sites are quite popular with our age group. Sometimes we view them in groups but most times with our partners. If my friends stumble across something interesting, they will download the material and distribute it to some of our friends with phones that have internet access,” said a 17-year old boy, who did not want to be named.
Many said their parents were unaware of their activities on these sites. When The Herald visited some of the free porn websites, no declaration of age was required.
After being told that Busi was 16, Pat was eager to “break her virginity”.
“So you said you have never had sex before?” asked Pat.
“I’ve never. What can you teach me?” said Busi.
Pat’s reply is explicit and he then asks: “Can you send me a picture of you so that when I come to Cape Town I will know who I’m meeting, sweet thing.”
When Busi asked for an address, Pat said she should send the picture via her cellphone. “I would also love to have a video of you wearing nothing so that when I miss you I can have a look at it.”
Pat said he was a businessman and did not mind flying from Durban to Cape Town just to sleep with her.
When “Busi” called back days later to record the conversation with Pat, a woman answered and said she did not know who Pat was.
Some of the popular websites frequently visited by teens via cellphone cost just 60c to access.
“We are not asked if we are 18 or older and are charged by how long we are on the sites.
“We can view pictures and videos of men and women having sex. We can also listen to people telling us their sexual desires,” said a 15-year-old girl.
Nelson Mandela Bay psychologist Thabisa Mabisela said children younger than 18 were likely to practise what they saw on these sites among themselves.
“They are not emotionally ready to control themselves when they view these websites. “This will result in them wanting to practise whatever they see on the website on their peers.
“This is damaging to the person who is used as a sex object,” said Mabisela, who claimed that some of the websites were created by paedophiles.
“If they regularly view these sites, they’ll end up thinking that is the norm and will end up being victims of paedophiles.”
Newell High School principal Elphingston Makamba said pupils were often caught viewing pornography.
“When we call their parents, some are shocked and embarrassed and hit their children in front of us. But some act shocked, then we find out they knew their children were viewing pornography.
“We catch children from the age of 12 viewing porn.”
Westering High principal Stuart Hayward said the school often caught children from 14 with pornographic material, and that some parents were “clueless about their children’s activities”.
Some websites have information on adult parties happening around the country, while others have a sex chat line.
South African web expert Arthur Goldstuck, of World Wide Worx, said most adult sites did not do any proper checks to see if people visiting the sites were over 18. “No tests are done unless someone enters a paying site where a credit card is needed.”
Mabisela said many parents did not know their children were viewing porn on their phones and computers.
Parents should be educated on how to control what their children could watch at home and the type of software they should purchase to stop their children from going onto these websites, she said.
Port Elizabeth sexologist Leandi Buys said South Africa needed to embark on more high-profile education programmes about pornography, starting at home and in schools.
Ministry for Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities spokesman Sibani Mngadi said two of the main issues that had been highlighted in the new ministry’s interaction with stakeholders in the children’s sector were the use of children in the development of pornographic material, and children’s access to pornographic material because of increased access to various technologies.
The ministry would be working with various government departments and other entities to address this, Mngadi said.
According to research, the average age for a child’s first exposure to internet porn is just 11, and 90% of children between the ages of eight and 16 have viewed porn online while doing their homework.
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