Watch what your child is watching

October 22, 2014 10:01 am | Updated May 23, 2016 04:33 pm IST - KOCHI:

The growing incidents of children getting exposed to pornographic material on the internet and mobile phones have left the parents and teachers perplexed and worried.

Many parents and teachers remain confused on how to deal with the issue, triggering emotional problems within the family.

Stating that parents often feel embarrassed on realising that their children are viewing violent and sexual pornographic material on the web and mobile phones, senior psychiatrist C.J. John advised parents to utilize the opportunity to open a discussion with the children on the dangers of getting addicted to pornography. “Do not take it as a big moralistic issue. It’s quite natural that children get interested in such explicit materials at their age. They live in a world where there is an abundance of sexual images. Parents and teachers need to spend time with children and urge them not to corrupt their sexual attitude by getting too exposed and influenced by pornography,” he said.

Principals whom The Hindu spoke to on the issue admitted that they were often confused on how to tackle a situation where a few students get caught watching and sharing sexually explicit material on the internet. “It’s a fact that the ban on mobile phones on campuses has not made much of an impact, with children either hiding it when they come to school and using it at home or outside,” said a senior teacher of a city school.

Counsellors at Childline confirmed that they often received calls (toll free 1098) from parents saying that they were deeply worried and clueless on how to take up the issue with their children. “We also get calls from children who want to get out of groups that actively share and watch pornographic material,” said Sruthy K.V, co-ordinator at Childline, Kochi.

Childline members often invite parents and students for both individual and joint counselling sessions on how to effectively tackle the issue. Experts have also urged teachers to have open discussions with children and help them avoid the pornography trap.

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