An information-technology meeting here disclosed the average age at which children are exposed to porn online is 11, according to representatives from government, child-protection groups, and private information technology gathering to address Internet sexual victimizing.
"Because the Internet is pervasive and also has no boundaries, stuff that is going on in the UK is seen by the youth here in South Africa," said Colin Erasmus, tech security specialist at Microsoft South Africa, April 19.
"We see statistics here that show 10 percent of children under the age of 18 are addicted to the Internet, which means they spend more than four to five hours a day online," Erasmus added.
He added that research is showing now that the Web phenomenon also affects children socially, with many withdrawing from their normal circles of friends as well as receiving sex advances in cyberspace. Microsoft says one out of five Netizens younger than 17 reported receiving online sexual advances.
These findings were revealed almost a week after the Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection called on adult websites to pay closer attention to the child protective side of its code of ethics, and to be more vigilant in helping to keep children from seeing adult material in cyberspace, as well as encouraging stronger age-verification tools.
