Parents, have you ever seen videos of children watching pornographic content on their mobile phones? If not, you may have read about or heard other people talk about a child watching porn on phone. Sadly, these cases are becoming more and more common.
As parents, surely rising incidents like these are sad and concerning. This is especially so when such events are highlighted by the discussion on social media platforms.
Recently, in Indonesia, a viral video has been shared non-stop on social media platforms. In the video, a little girl was watching a pornographic video on a cell phone. What is more pitiful is that right next to the child was an adult woman, allegedly her mother, who did not take action.
How this ‘child watching porn on phone’ incident became viral
According to Kriminologi.id, this video became viral after being uploaded on Yuni Rusmini’s Facebook page on Wednesday, 14 March 2018. In her upload, she also had the time to write this short description:
Oh Dear Lord… To all my friends everywhere, especially parents who have children. Please, if your children ever does manage to get hold of your phone sometimes, do NOT ever fill it with pornographic videos or content that is beyond their limited, innocent understanding of the world.
Look at the events in this video. How is it possible that a child is holding a mobile phone unsupervised in a public place? And exactly WHAT is she even watching?
#Please take this video as a lesson – don’t taint our children due to our own negligence as parents.
How netizens responded
This video of a child watching porn on phone has already been shared widely in messaging applications and social media platforms. We have censored the faces of the child and the adult woman beside her to protect their identities.
The video in question shows a child watching a pornographic video while sitting in a public area. It can clearly be seen that the mobile phone screen held by the girl is plastered with scenes of naked men and women engaging in oral sex. Beside her is an adult woman, allegedly her own mother.
Unfortunately, her mother does not pay any attention at all to the child. She does not even supervise what the child is watching!
This video upload obviously incensed many and elicited various reactions from netizens. They deplore the negligence of the adult woman for exposing her child to such inappropriate content. And they also deplore the fact that there was pornographic content stored in the phone in the first place.
Several netizens also criticized the people recording this incident and questioned why they didn’t directly scold the mother. In truth, the people who recorded this video had the opportunity to prevent the child from exposure to inappropriate content.
Police and The Commision for the Protection of Children Indonesia (CPCI) voice outrage against this ‘child watching porn on phone’ incident
The circulation of this video even involved the police, who began investigating this viral video uploaded on social media platforms.
Quoted from Merdeka.com, Raden Prabowo Argo Yuwono, Head of Personal Relations of the Metro Jaya Regional Police High Commission, said that the police will begin a deeper investigation. His starting point was to find out when and where the incident occurred.
Even he is regretful that the alleged mother ignored and did not supervise what the child was watching. “We regret that part — it is actually very inappropriate,” he said.
The police won’t be closing this case anytime soon. They will be further investigating why the parents of this little girl allowed her to continue watching inappropriate content.
Meanwhile, Susanto, the representative of CPCI, deeply regrets such an incident actually happened. The CPCI is now conducting a deeper investigation regarding the matter.
As quoted from Detik.com, Susanto asserted, “This cannot be tolerated. We’re currently deepening our investigation into this video and incident: the exact location where it occurred, exactly who played a role such that the child is able to access pornographic content. We also coordinate with local police in our investigation.”
How does pornography affect my child’s development?
Researches have found out that long term exposure to pornography can cause many detrimental behaviors. A study by the American College of Paediatricians found out that subjects:
- demonstrated increased callousness toward women (for males only)
- considered the crime of rape less serious
- were more accepting of non-marital sexual activity and non-coital sexual practices such as oral and anal sex
- became more interested in more extreme and deviant forms of pornography
- were more likely to say they were dissatisfied with their sexual partner
- became more accepting of sexual infidelity in a relationship
- valued marriage less and were twice as likely to believe marriage may become obsolete
- showed a greater acceptance of female promiscuity
Child watching porn on phone: how Parents should respond
At the very least, this incident of a child watching porn on phone can teach us a few pointers, as suggested by Vera Itabiliana Hadiwidjojo, a psychologist:
It is important for the child to be actively mentored as they access the device. By ‘Actively Mentored,’ I mean parents should ensure that they know what their child (is) watching and that they have limited access to the device. Furthermore, parents should ensure that the device is free from content that may endanger the child, especially if the device is their parent’s.
What should you do if you catch your children watching pornographic videos? As parents, it’s important to explain the content of the video (an explanation that ONLY married adults can do). You should also explain why the child isn’t allowed to be exposed to such inappropriate content. Research exists that suggests brain damage from excessive consumption of pornography. Parents also need to apologise for carelessly saving the video in their device in the first place.
If the child is mature enough and a possibility for a discussion indeed presents itself, do not forget to ask what they were thinking and feeling while they were watching the video. By understanding what the child is thinking, parents can invite them for a discussion, inserting moral values in it. Usually, children who have gone through puberty or become teenagers would understand what they are viewing.
Final reminders
Dr Vera also advises parents to:
- NEVER gloss over the fact that the child has been exposed to pornographic videos or assume that they can forget it over time. Parents still need to talk to them.
- DIRECTLY reprimand or question ignorant adults in similar situations. This is assuming that you are witnessing an adult who is unaware that their child is watching inappropriate content.
- DO NOT upload the video above, or similar videos, to social media. Some versions of the video clearly show the young girl’s face. It is important to think about the future of this child as well. Digital traces are difficult to remove once videos are on the internet.
References: Kriminologi.id, Merdeka.com, Psychology Today, American College of Pediatricians
ALSO READ: Are your children safe in the Internet in Singapore?
Republished with permission from theAsianParent Indonesia. Translated and further edited by Kevin Wijaya Oey.