The National Centre for Child Protection study highlights risks of unmonitored online access for children

The National Centre for Child Protection (NCCP), a non-profit organisation, has conducted a study examining children’s access to online content. This follows the arrest of a 35-year-old man in Midrand, who was found with a global child pornography distribution network.

Speaking on VOC Breakfast on Wednesday, CEO Danie van Loggerenberg discussed the study in detail. He explained, “Firstly, everything that we exposed to these young children is accessible. Parents often believe it’s beneficial to buy their kids the latest devices, but the unfortunate truth is that better phones offer better quality and greater access to harmful content. This is the same kind of access adults have today. Years ago, children would have to go to a store to purchase something inappropriate, but now it’s freely available.”

Van Loggerenberg highlighted some of the red flags identified in the study: “It shows that parents are not monitoring what their children are doing. There’s a lack of communication between them. Children are sharing messages, memes, and website links, which makes the situation very dangerous.”

He also pointed out that the study revealed concerning trends such as children being cyberbullied, staying awake for long hours instead of sleeping, and even sharing inappropriate images of themselves. Van Loggerenberg stressed that these behaviours are alarming and highlighted the need for more active parental involvement and communication to safeguard children in the digital age.

Listen to the full interview below:

VOC News

Photo: Pixabay

Picture of Lee-Yandra Paulsen
Lee-Yandra Paulsen

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