Monitor children’s gadget use, parents urged

PUPILS of SK Tanjong Malim in Perak were given an insight into the dangers of pornography and child grooming via social media platforms.

The awareness programme was jointly organised with the Muallim Social Welfare Department to provide understanding on the related issues and how the community could help deter these activities.

About 290 Year Six and Five pupils attended the programme at the school, which also explained to them safe touches and parts of the bodies that a medical personnel could touch.

They were also given a talk on how children could get protection and legal rights.

In his speech, organising chairman Associate Prof Dr Nek Kamal Yeop Yunus said among the factors that contributed to the increase in sexual abuse cases and incidents that involved children was the lack of supervision from families on the use of gadgets.

“Advertisements and product promotions on social media that contain obscene and indecent elements are the earliest form of exposure for children that make them susceptible to the risk of pornographic addiction.

“There should be some control from families on the children’s use of gadgets,” he added.

Dr Nek Kamal, who is also the district Social Welfare Department’s children welfare unit chief, said the community in general must always pay attention to any issues of child exploitation by adults.

“The people need to pay close attention to all these issues.

“Some children could be asked to reveal their body and perform lewd acts by just being given mobile phone credit top-up of between RM3 and RM10,” he said.

“These acts could be recorded and then shared to paying acquaintances.

“Families and children need to take heed of these incidents so they don’t fall victim, especially if the video clips are to spread among school friends, villages or nearby areas,” he added.