In Bangkok one in 10 teens admit to sex with net strangers
The Bangkok Post today has a front page story with extracts from an Abac poll, which was conducted by Assumption University. This shows one in 10 teenagers and young adults in Bangkok admit to having sex with strangers they met on the internet. Almost half of them say they have done so willingly. This comes to 11.5% of teens and young adults in the city which is way up from the 8.9% in last year’s survey.
Abac poll centre director Noppadon Kannika said of the number who said they had sex with internet chat mates who were total strangers, 47% maintained the sex was consensual.
Assumption University conducted the poll among 1,303 respondents aged between 15-24 years old in Bangkok from Feb 2-8. Its survey is part of a campaign for the ’safety internet network’ run by the Thai Health Promotion Foundation.
The survey found young people normally accessed the Internet late at night, mostly from home and unsupervised, for some three hours a day.
At the same time the 15-24 age group has become slightly more interested in viewing pornographic photos on the internet. The number of such internet users who access these websites has risen to 62.6% from 61.6% in last year’s survey.
Most of the respondents say they enjoy talking with strangers on the internet. 80% of them admit most information they exchange with one another is made up and sex is the favourite subject of conversation. 30% said they have met with strangers they talked to on the net.
The director of the survey said the findings are a matter for concern as more young internet users are going on to have sexual encounters with chat mates whom they have never met before in person.
Some cyber programs also allow members to enjoy interactive sexual activities, in addition to chatting online.
The Thai Health Foundation is pushing for a draft bill against actions considered harmful to internet users and is trying to find ways to campaign against the exposure of personal information on the internet.
Up to 60% of teenagers said they gaveout their personal data to strangers on the Internet.
Pol Lt-Col Patana Surakul, of the Department of Special Investigation, said, ‘We cannot just keep on cracking down on dangerous internet materials. We need to educate our kids more.’
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