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Ensuring clean online environment
(China Daily)
Updated: 2004-07-31 08:43 When a middle-school teacher
sat down at an Internet cafe one day, she was shocked to see that a 14-year-old
student from her school who was sitting next to her was browsing graphic
pornography.
"He quickly switched the screen to a game when he noticed me," said Peng
Longhui, 25, an English teacher in Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei
Province.
Scrolling down the address bar of the Internet browser on her computer, Peng
found several more websites with pornographic content, which had been viewed by
previous users - even though a regulation placed on the wall of the cafe says it
is forbidden to look at obscene material.
Peng seldom goes to Internet cafes and her accidental discovery made her both
furious and concerned, sparking her into further action.
She went and spoke to the manager, asking for a filter to be installed on
most of the computers so they could not be used to access illicit materials, in
a bid to protect the moral health of the youth.
Peng suggested that those without filters should be under the scrutiny of
staff.
"Public Internet cafes are required, by the government, to install filter
technology," she said. "But for some black-hearted cafe owners, the profits far
outweigh their consciences."
Peng is not alone in her fight, as a nationwide offensive against
pornographic websites was launched on July 16.
The campaign reflects Chinese authorities' growing concerns about the
negative influence of the Internet on the nation's young people, who make up a
significant portion of China's 80 million-strong Internet users.
Statistics from the China Internet Network Information Centre, published on
July 20, show that more than 30 per cent of Internet users are students and
about 15 million of them are under the age of 18.
By Tuesday, more than 700 pornographic websites had been shut down and
hundreds of people had been detained as part of the campaign, Xinhua reported.
Photos, videos and articles attracting Internet users to pornographic
activities online or people involved in organizing the sex trade were targeted.
On July 16, the Ministry of Public Security set up a hotline and a website
for people to report porn websites. So far, it has received 733 phone calls and
16,711 online messages targeting websites of phonographic nature, Xinhua
reported.
Many news and commercial websites, including some of the most influential
ones, contain inappropriate sex-related material and they have been given until
September to clean up their act.
Those who fail to comply with the regulation will have their licences revoked
and their other operations, such as publishing news, terminated.
Nation mobilized
In addition to police, parents and educators are also the major forces in the
war on porn.
"The web is a source for teenager to learn about sex, but the inappropriate
content may mislead them," said Li Xiujie, the mother of a 20-year-old girl. Li
said she would do whatever she could to assist the healthy development of
China's youth.
"Regardless of whether my child is looking at inappropriate material online
or not," she said, "they all need proper guidance."
Fu, a senior at university who declined to give his full name, said: "I've
been to pornographic websites several times and I'm not in the minority."
Fu said he was 19 when he first looked at a pornographic website, when a
pop-up message directed him to it.
"Frankly speaking, I think it is very bad as it could cause some guys,
especially the younger ones, to do something they would regret," he said.
"Most guys at university, if not all, have visited pornographic websites or
bought and watched pornographic movies once in a while.
"A few female classmates have also done the same thing, but they're less
likely to admit it."
Fu said such websites were changing the ethical standards of his generation
in a negative way.
Lack of proper sex education
"Not that we should assume every child is doing this," said Zhang Huaizhi,
60, a retired middle school teacher.
"But many youngsters are induced by obscene material, which is unhealthy for
their personal growth.
"Even worse, it could lead to some unbalanced people committing sexual
crimes."
He says society should look into the issue of starting sex education at an
earlier age, but not just because cyber pornography is becoming a problem.
"We should realize that the ultimate dilemma lies in the fact that there is
no adequate sex education for them."
When it comes to sex, teens have always rely on their parents and schools for
necessary savvy.
"But the majority of parents never have a conversation with their children
about sex and a high school education seldom gives them adequate information
about reproductive biology," Zhang said.
You Daoming, the father of 17-year-old boy, admitted: "I don't have the
confidence to engage in such a discussion with my child. I expect such an
education from school."
Unfortunately, the schools feel the same way and place all of the
responsibility on the parents.
Education expert Jin Xuefang said in a public cyber chat on Xinhuanet, the
official website of the Xinhua News Agency, that the lack of a sex education
leaves children on their own, which means they may find themselves surfing the
Net and having intercourse before they are ready.
Many of them are seeking a straightforward, simple and practical sex
education and pornographic websites become their first choice.
Experts have advised parents to set limits on Internet surfing at home by
using filtering systems, which come in the form of blocking software which is
available at office supply stores at a reasonable price.
The software can filter specific sites, and websites with pornographic
content.
However, filters will not block all obscene material, said Cao Jian, a
web-technician in Beijing, who warned parents against thinking that filter
software was a panacea.
Experts say precautionary measures are necessary for teens, including
checking them while online, reading what they write and receive, knowing their
screen name and requiring them to identify their "buddy list."
And another way for parents is to help their children develop a healthy
interest while themselves taking full advantage of the informative and colourful
world that modern technology created.
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