Even though attempts by local netizens to close down STOMP in the past were of no avail, they remain adamant and decided to launch yet another anti-STOMP blog. The only difference this time is that it comes together with a Facebook cause known as 'Stomp out STOMP for good!' to act as a tool to garner as much online support as possible.
Do visit the blog HERE.
One of the blog posts published suggested members to send a letter of appeal for the discontinuation of STOMP. A paragraph was inserted to inform supporters that they are not committing a crime but instead just performing their duty as a concerned citizen. The letter specifically mentioned how STOMP encourages the culture of voyeurism in our society, unnecessarily intrudes into the private lives of Singaporeans and destroys the lives of Singaporeans affected by the stories featured in the website.
You can join the cause HERE.
Meanwhile, the Facebook cause has attracted more than 450 members and is still growing. The cause hopes to raise awareness of the shortcomings of STOMP through the use of the new media. There is currently an active discussion going on in the group whereby members examine the negative impacts of STOMP and raise suggestions to improve it.
Sceptics are already questioning the effectiveness of such a cause. As mentioned earlier, many anti-stomp websites had been closed down in the past. Furthermore, online petitions rarely work in Singapore. Nonetheless, I applaud the effort of the creator and administrators of the cause for highlighting an important issue on responsible citizen journalism. I hope they continue fighting for the cause or else we will be left counting the number of days left before it closes down.
Yet Another Anti-STOMP Blog Opened
New Generation Youths: Online And Unprotected
The risks that the new generation youths face online today are high. Social networking websites are fishing in more teenagers to expand their membership database. They are actively promoting themselves as a great place to meet new friends. Nonetheless, being young and naive have caused the children to make precarious decisions such as meeting the virtual friends in real life. What they do not realize is that those friends are actually strangers, some with their harmful hidden agendas concealed by a nice and friendly profile layout.
The number of sexual offences committed online has risen. Sexual predators utilize the Internet to seduce and lure innocent children to satisfy their lust and sexual desires. Most of them gained the trusts of their victims before exploiting them. Social networking websites are working hard to prevent sexual offenders from preying on their younger members. For instance, MySpace had made site-design and policy changes that included acknowledging consumer reports of abuse within twenty-four hours, allowing parents to submit children's email addresses to the site for blocking and automatically making a greater number of profiles private. MySpace also employs technology from Sentinel Tech Holding to eliminate child predators who set up profiles in their own names.
However, despite all the efforts by the social networking websites to protect youths online, they are still exposed to an array of dangers online such as bullying and sexual predation. The reason being is simple: it is getting harder for parents to monitor their children's online activities. Parents play an integral role in making sure their children are safe while surfing the Internet. Constant monitoring is crucial to ensure that their children do not fall in the traps of online dangers such as by preventing them from sharing their personal contact information.
As technology advances, things are getting more complicated for parents to fulfill their duties online. For example, in the case of Facebook, sexual predators can befriend the children online, gain their trust and ask for their contact information via Facebook Chat. They can easily avoid all the privacy tools set by the children's parents. Besides that, social networking websites are also going mobile making it even much more difficult for parents to consistently monitor their children's online activities.
For the record, below are links of stories regarding sexual offences committed by criminals who utilized social networking websites such as MySpace, Facebook and Bebo:
Police: Man Used MySpace To Lure Child For Sex
MySpace tryst leads to charges for Catawba man
Social websites lure youngsters into gangs
La Crosse Teen Pleads Guilty in MySpace Nude Pictures Case
Police: Man Met, Assaulted Girl On Facebook
As you can see, the danger is real and teenagers are vulnerable online. So is there a solution to the problem? Yes, in my opinion, education combined with parental intervention is the best solution. Parents need to be taught the new systems and policies that social networking websites adopt. I believe some parents are still unaware of the new rules implemented by social networking websites to protect their kids. Parents should also be educated to effectively monitor the online activities of their children. They may need to extend their surveillance over mobile phones with Internet access, beyond the computers at home.
The only people that stand between our youths and online sex predators or bullies are their parents. They can easily recognize a fishy situation and avoid trouble. The new generation youths are exposed to many online social networking outlets as the Internet is introduced in the early stages of their lives and their naivety is often taken advantage of by irresponsible netizens. Parental intervention is therefore fundamental in order to make sure the kids remain protected online. Teenagers are still children.
Citizen Journalism In Singapore
Written by Guest Blogger.
(With commentary by the Editor.)
As our material world integrates into our online space, it is often no surprise to see reports of real-life events on the Internet. Credible news sources such as BBC, Channel News Asia and even The Straits Times all have online “e-versions” of their articles. On a technical basis, such reports are meant to cater to the internet-savvy generation and have an extremely potent reach in allowing World Citizens to know about what is happening, and has happened, in their world. However, the most important consideration when posting up any piece of news, and taking any piece of news seriously, is how credible a particular article is.
For many Singaporeans, such a skill is one of the most important things they learn at the Secondary School level, regardless of which stream they are in. Quite simply put, it is the skill of critical analysis and the ability to discern whether a source, or an article, is credible. Yet, somehow, it seems that we do not apply such key concepts in our everyday lives. Or, at least, that’s what I infer from the Straits Times’ very own online newsprint. Personally, there are two essential problems with online citizen journalist newsprint such as STOMP.
azhar: Citizen journalism is prevalent in the Internet now. The web is scattered with many websites which allows its members to share their photos, videos and commentary to the world. Among those in the list include CNN's iReport portal and Yahoo!'s You Witness News initiative. Besides the notorious STOMP, Singapore also has another website which promotes citizen journalism. It is none other than Omy's I Witness section.
Firstly, it is simply immoral. Whilst I applaud the vigilance with which Singaporeans have in attempting to maintain public order and peace, the vigour with which they do so borders upon voyeurism, obsession, and denigration. We seem to have thrown out all semblances of the basic values we criticize others of not having. When we snap photos of a stranger on the MRT supposedly “pretending to be asleep” and hence “not giving up his seat to a pregnant woman”, we accuse such people of being rude, uncivilized, and barbaric. It seems we have forgotten that the very fact that we took out a camera to snap a picture of this person, without him/her knowing, is a very rude act.
azhar: The issue regarding taking photos of people in public is a (very) complicated one. For instance, tourists are free to take photos of people in public areas of the countries they visit. In Singapore alone, we can view many tourists capturing photos of local citizens in action without them knowing. Professional photographers working for the traditional media have the rights to take photos in the location of a breaking news (and ironically, we usually react ecstatically when we find our pictures published in the newspaper). Furthermore, it is especially difficult to avoid taking photos of people in crowded places. So why should normal citizens equipped with camera phones be denied rights to do the same? And why are their actions considered rude as compared to -in this case- tourists and the professional photographers? At the end of the day, we all have to admit one thing: we can no longer expect privacy in any public area.
It also seems that, despite having the benefit of seeing our dear courtesy lion, Singa, in action, many of the more matured and senior members of the Singaporean society only preach, but never practice. Firstly, the accusation that someone is “pretending to be asleep” on the bus/MRT is pure speculation and defamation – the person may really be asleep, and it may have been since he boarded the train at say, Pasir Ris, he would have gotten the seat in the first place. Secondly, it seems that some have forgotten the concept of compromise and have begun to believe that they have the right to all sorts of things – such as a priority seat.
Yes, I believe that the younger generation should, if possible, give up their seat for the elderly and those who need it more than they do. After all, we are supposed to be livelier, youthful, and do not (generally) have issues with standing up for half an hour. However, this does not mean that those who need such a seat have the right to claim it as their own. Moreover, it does not give that person any right at all to take a picture of a supposed “culprit” and post it on the Internet, while including slander and libel along as captions.
azhar: This is the precise problem with our local citizen journalism. It is trying too hard to correct the society. I believe some citizen journalists have good intentions when they submit photos of Singaporeans in their poorest behaviours. They hope the same thing will not be repeated again. Unfortunately, the very same noble reason is the cause of the whole mess in our local citizen journalism. Our citizen journalists are too obsessed with the search for people who portray an indecent behaviour in public. They are waiting for people to make mistakes and hope that the same mistakes can be used as a form of campaign to educate netizens of proper public manners. The problem now is the people caught in action may turn out to be completely innocent. For all we know, we have just painted horns on their heads. Citizen journalism should not instill fear in our society; the last thing we want is to be living with a group of 'secret police officers'.
Secondly, and most importantly, is the credibility of such a source. How decisive can a source, that often allows defamatory and fictitious reports and accounts, be when it comes to deciding or judging a situation or person? A court of law will never admit such photographs and exaggerated witness accounts as evidence, so why should our schools, society, and people do so? A photograph that shows action A, which COULD lead to action B, C or D, does not provide any evidence or proof that the latter actions did indeed happen.
To explain the analogy, for the benefit of some who tend to misconstrue what might had happened with what really did, a photograph only shows a frame or snapshot of what had happened – and does not offer any conclusive evidence of what really did happen. It is thus fallacious to make our decisions or judgments upon such shaky ground. The only thing we can say for sure (going back to the “sleeping on the bus/MRT example) is that a student seemed to be sleeping at the moment, and that a pregnant woman did not have a seat. For all we know, that lady was offered the seat when that student awoke from his slumber, without having known that his picture was taken, and that he could very soon be on national news for something he was never guilty of.
azhar: Not to forget, the readers are also guilty of making harsh comments even though the source is not proven genuine. In fact, the actions of some of the readers who repeatedly make nasty comments regarding the victims can be deemed as bullying as it may cause emotional harm to the victims by the constant online harassment. Apart from that, in conclusion, we need more responsible citizen journalists who ensure the accuracy of the articles he or she submits. Failure to do so may hinder the progress of our local citizen journalism. Put one rotten egg in a basket of fresh eggs and the whole thing will stink. Citizen journalism can definitely help society, if used properly. It can also provide valuable feedback to the institutions and companies featured.
[Related post: http://tpjcian.blogspot.com/2009/01/stomp-and-citizen-journalism-in.html]
STOMP And Citizen Journalism In Singapore
Written by Wee Xue Wen Shawn (07S28).
'The question is no longer about the article. It is about the credibility of STOMP in the future. It is about the future citizen journalism here in Singapore.'
I would like to comment on the quality of the articles on the citizen journalism outlet, STOMP. Though I am not a regular STOMPER, I do read articles recommended by friends. Recently, I learnt from my Alma Mater's intranet about the article about two of our students from TPJC acting intimately at the back of a bus in their school uniform. This article and certain subsequent articles I read have brought to my attention the poor credibility and immaturity shown by some citizen journalists.
Without going into a discussion about whether the students' actions should be condoned, I would like to highlight that STOMP is on its way to become an entertainment outlet than one for citizen journalism. While there are proper articles regarding issues we would like to highlight of our society with the aim of trying to improve it, there are quite a number of articles submitted for the sake of attention itself and they show no significant relation to any issue. We see many 'caught in the act' articles, more often than not of couples in public, in or out of uniform. There are quite a handful of flame articles, meant to shame a certain person or a group of people for acting in an undesirable way. Some recent articles include: 'This rude bus driver cut my lane, confronted me and took my picture' and ‘Girl comes from good school, but what foul language she uses’.
Firstly, the credibility of certain articles, such as the one regarding TPJCians, can be highly questionable. It is amazing how a person can snap a picture of a situation and turn it into something else with the right captions and descriptions. To use this article as an example, the picture merely showed two students in close physical contact. However, the picture was exaggerated by the title "TPJC couple petting in bus back seat: 'Girl moaned and screamed at times'" and statements such as "The girl was even lying down at times" and "the guy looked like he was really enjoying it". It is appalling how STOMPERS spin stories just to sensationalize the story to higher the chances of an article being published. The title which was used: "TPJC couple petting in bus back seat: 'Girl moaned and screamed at times'" is bound to capture more attention than "Girl and boy sitting very close together at the back of the bus". For all we know, the boy could have been simply consoling the girl with a hug and what not, which is completely different and definitely a lot less serious than the description used for the picture. Many agreed that better evidence of this would come in a video, and not an uninformative picture.
Secondly, I would like to comment that many Singaporeans view public shaming as the best solution to a problem. This attitude has translated itself into “flame-fests” on STOMP, whereby a person is judged in an unjust manner and the article is basically a rant from the STOMPER because he or she did not find himself or herself in a favourable situation. While I recognize that there is a thin line between a personal bluster and highlighting certain issues within our society, I believe that the line is clear. While it is of utmost importance to highlight to our society to learn proper manners and social grace, we should refrain from making submissions that are too personal and using portals like STOMP to vent our very biased frustrations.
While I do believe portals like STOMP do help in the introduction of freedom of speech, I do hope it does not become a portal made for the middle-class paparazzi, where people go to simply for juicy news involving non-celebrity Singaporeans. In order to achieve this, STOMP should introduce or improve the quality control on articles submitted.
TPJC In STOMP: The Review
Two days ago, STOMP decided to post a story. It was submitted by one of its members, STOMPer EnG, which somehow made it through its editorial board. The story claimed many things. Of course, to attract as much attention as it possibly can, the story had to carry a scandalous title. And so they went with "TPJC couple petting in bus back seat: 'Girl moaned and screamed at times'", as expected with inverted commas accompanying it (an easy way out).
Oh, and that is not all. Having an interesting title is just not enough, isn't it? We need the oomph! factor. So why not post a photo or video of them in action and then go on to elaborate on the story? It is all right, you do not have to actually take a video or series of photo of them petting in the bus back seat. All you need to do is to take a single photo of them together to prove that they are indeed there, seating in the bus back seat. The rest is up to you and your creativity (which sometimes backfires, terribly). Yeah, it is all right to tell a story solely based on a picture. I mean, we are taught to do it in Primary School.
After all that is done, do remember to check your work for mistakes. (Don't let Ms Tan spot any errors...) Failure to do so may send a torpedo right at all your hard work and possibly a smack right at the centre of your self-esteem (when you receive the paper back with remarks).
We all know a story out of point is just worthy of a F grade. To start with one thing and then end with another is the greatest mistake any author would want to end up with. To say 'I don't know what were they doing...' and then going on to speculate that they were petting is the most outrageous thing to do.
The STOMPer who submitted the photo is trying too hard to make a sensationalized story come to life. Oops, the SHOCKED STOMPer I mean (that bold word is important). There is just no evidence to support the claims as mentioned by the SHOCKED STOMPer.
The article posted in STOMP is just not conclusive enough at all. We are now questioning the reliability of the user-generated news website. There seems to be a huge flaw. It is too easy for anyone to bring down the reputation of a person or institution or company he or she doesn't like. All you need to do is to wait for them to make a 'mistake'.
Two friends sitting in a park. They were sharing their problems with one another. And then, the girl burst into tears. The boy decided to console the girl and whispered to her ears.
BOOM!
Front page photo with a title 'Romeo and Juliet caught kissing in public!'. It is that easy.
The Singapore Blogosphere: Screwed Up?
Perhaps, and all thanks to its readers. Ever since advertising companies started to arrive in the shores of our local blogosphere, everything has changed. Some bloggers were intrigued by the idea of earning money just by sharing their thoughts online. Then, they began to learn how everything works and before you knew it, began posting articles about -you guessed it- sex, scandals and controversies.
No, it is unfair to put the blame on advertising companies. They will most willingly want to clinch a deal with top sponsors for high quality blogs discussing on topics such as technology, science and even politics. However, things work differently here in Singapore. The majority of the readers are hungry for more sexually explicit content, highly controversial articles and exaggerated artiste scandals.
The commercialization of the blogosphere has made bloggers themselves slaves to their readers. Readers are like consumers and bloggers are compelled to feed them with almost-junk content. The money-making equation is simple: the more readers or subscribers you have, the more moolah you are likely to bank in.
If there is one evidence needed to prove this problem, then it will be none other than our very own community meta blog for Singapore bloggers, known as Ping.sg. On average, almost half of the top ten most popular entries contain sex-related content with striking blog titles everyday. Again, you can't really blame Ping.sg for the overflow of sex-related blog posts. Ultimately, the people who decides which blogs get to the top ten spots are its readers.
I remembered asking a few of my not-so-Internet-savvy friends about the local blogosphere. And surprisingly, all of them uttered the same name, XiaXue. They went further and commented on how she represented our 'complain culture' pretty well. Somehow, XiaXue seems to be a representative of the entire local blogosphere. Unfortunately, all her constant ramblings and vulgarities that inundated her blog makes her bad one. Nonetheless, local readers still flock to read her blog as if it provides a new learning experience for them each day.
Now comes the difficult question: why are our readers more interested with sex, scandals and controversies?
Before answering the question, we must first acknowledge that sex, scandals and controversies sell everywhere and not just in Singapore. However, in other countries such as America, they are many highly reputable blogs writing articles on topics such as the science and technology. TechCrunch, Telegraph and Wired Science are some examples to name a few. The reason why these blogs are so successful is because they manage to garner a huge readership base.
By contrast, in Singapore, I believe most of our (intellectual) citizens are not connected to our local blogosphere well enough. Our small online market makes it even difficult for our local niche blogs to survive. In school, students are constantly reminded to be wary about information available in the Internet. They are encouraged to read print media, especially our very own The Straits Times. Reliability is often emphasized and in favour of print media.
The other root cause of the problem is none other than the nature of our education system itself. I don't think I need to elaborate further on how it works (basically its all about grades) but it definitely has a part to play to how and why most of our local netizens behave in a way they are now. Everything is provided for us and there is little need for us to research on the subjects tested. Little did they know that there are really good local niche blogs here in Singapore such as The Online Citizen and The Wise Curve. These local blogs need more support from netizens. They reflect well of how much our blogosphere has matured.
Hence, this has left our netizens with only two reasons to visit the Internet: to read on the latest sex news, scandals and controversies and to socialize with friends via games or social networking websites. It is as if they are habituated to the reasons stated above.
Nah, the Singapore blogosphere isn't exactly screwed up; its readers are...
I Am Fat But It's OK, Says Local Plus Size Blogger
As a casual blogger, Yong Wei was never shy or embarrassed to post his photos in his online personal diary. Being sixteen years old does not hinder him from expressing his critical views about his daily eccentricities and life experiences, such as regarding his visits to restaurants or food courts (check out his review on Botak Jones here).
Yong Wei now weighs 125 kilograms and he claims to be contented with it. He describes his favourite food as anything that is eatable but is repelled by processed food. Music provides him the serenity in life; it is used to express his emotions and feelings. He occasionally uploads his very own composed songs in his blog and dreams to be a famous musician one day. His readers are his fans.
Yong Wei has proven that being overweight does not mean that one has to hide under a shell in fear of discrimination by the society. He has showed that what is more important is our passion and commitment to do what we love most (in his case are blogging and music). He hopes to use his growing online popularity to inspire fat people like him by posting articles and reviews of his diet plans.
Yong Wei has definitely defied a popular belief that to be a successful blogger, one needs to possess an attractive and slim figure. His finalist position in the Singapore Blog Awards, organized by Omy.sg, was definitely the breakthrough in his blogging 'career'. In this interview, he reveals to us about his weight issues, blogging and how our society responds to people like him.
__________________________________
The following are details of an interview by TPJCian magazine, conducted via e-mail. Some of the questions have been edited for brevity and clarity, and extraneous material omitted.
__________________________________
1) How long have you been blogging? Why did you start blogging?
13 months ago, I was thinking of blogging about how much I've cycled around Singapore but end up doing more than that. And blogging about cycling is pretty lame I guess. I have to stop every once in a while just to snap some photos of my surroundings. You know, I'm kinda a photo guy, I'd rather blog with pictures mostly.
2) Do you blog for fun or do you consider yourself as a professional blogger, writing to earn money?
I think I'm a wannabe.
3) What do you think of the notion that to be a successful blogger, one needs to be good-looking?
Of course, I'm pretty good looking:
I find myself pretty cute and attractive.
4) Have you ever felt embarrassed to post your pictures in your blog?
You mean this?
If it entertains, I would post it I guess; not really sure what people think of me.
5) Have you ever come across nasty comments by your readers taunting your weight issue?
Hmmmmmm, are you one of them?
6) Have you ever experienced weight discrimination in our society, let it be in school or any other public places in Singapore?
I remember once or rather....many times, people called me this in class "Eh you know ah, when Yong Wei takes a shower, his leg is dry one". And I would shout it out across the classroom "Oi, talk bad things about me ah! You watch out! Later I call TAF club people chase you". And there goes the bursts of laughter. Yeah, I do, not sure how other fat people think of themselves, but I think I'm great the way I am. Of course, I would want to slim down.
7) I am not fat, I am big boned...Is that the true or are you trying to conceal the truth?
Dude, you should totally find out who Eric Cartman is (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Cartman). It's actually joke. Of course, I'm fat, but I like to keep it that way, makes me look humorous, and people say I'm living in denial.
8) Do you feel a need to lose your weight now so as to inspire your readers who may be suffering the same problem as you too?
Geez, people can be fat all they want, but I'm of course trying to lose some weight, Fruits, Oldenlandia water, more meat less rice. Trust me, I cycle a lot sometimes, I play basketball, and jog sometimes before I had a ankle injury. Yeah but I still cycle like, probably once every week at least?
9) You mentioned that people can be fat all they want. Don’t you think that mentality can be harmful to their health?
Wow, this is a hard question to answer. Mentally, if you don't decide to do anything about your weight, you won't. Scare tatics and all have been used, what else can we do for them? It's really up to oneself to get oneself up.
10) I understand you are really passionate about music. Do you intend to start a career in the music industry or is it just for fun? If not, what do you dream to be in the future?
I enjoy music, so that's fun. And of course, I try to be as professional as I can be, maybe soon I'll release a album next year and hold a gig, who knows? I would rather live my dreams, than to had never even tried.
11) Have your schoolmates or any members of the public ever criticized you for widely exposing yourself in our local community as attention-seeker? If so, how do you react?
I have read many forums and all talking about me - some love me, some hate me. Come on, Edison also a lot people like and hate him right? I'm kinda like him, just without those nude photos...
12) Are you happy with who you are and have now? (As in your weight now and your achievements as a blogger)
I'm kinda like 125kg right now, and of course I should be happy, like what Robbin William said, " Laughter is the best medicine". And I am happy, but I'll be happier to be slimmer
and I have friends who like me, and I like them too. I'm not that douchebag who goes around changing friends all the time.
13) What cultivates your compulsive eating habit? Is it stress or were you pampered with food since young?
Hmmmmm, I guess I'm greedy sometimes, but I've been changing my habit for the past few months; seems to look better in photos. In fact, I have been doing a photo-a-day project for the past 200 days, and believe me, my chin looks smaller than the first few days of my photos.
14) Are you embarrassed to approach a girl because of your size?
If it's a girl I've never met before, I would be shy till someone introduces her to me. I do have girl-friends.
15) Does your parents know about your famous blog? If yes, what did they think about it?
I'm famous? You might wanna ask my parents. I keep everything secret you see; not sure if they do know.
16) Do you think Singapore lacks bloggers who serve as good role models for the youngsters?
Nah, with me around there's no lacking. Everyone should follow me as a role model.
17) If you are given a chance to meet someone now, who would it be and why?
SR Nathan! Because I've never met him in real life!
Ahhh...Edison Chen Emerged As The Fastest Rising Search Item In Singapore This Year
The Singapore Google Zeitgeist 2008 page had been released, highlighting the most searched items (via Google of course) in Singapore. The name 'Edison Chen' came on top as the fastest rising searched item in this island. This means it experienced the biggest rise in searches in 2008 compared the previous year. The Edison Chen scandal exploded in the local virtual space after photos of his sex photos were leaked online. This eventually led to the 'pornification' of our online community - in our blogosphere and beyond.
Lets put that aside and turn our attention to the top three Google News local searches. The keywords 'singapore olympics' and 'singapore table tennis' topped the table in this category. This proves two things. Firstly, Singaporeans are indeed supportive of their athletes. This is evident since a lot of citizens follow the progress of their athletes online. Secondly, it can also mean that more Singaporeans are utilizing the Internet to get the latest in sports news. Of course, the controversies might have helped...
Now lets proceed to the next category, and that is the Most Popular search items of the year. Out of all the ten items listed in the table, four of them have roots with the soft social media. We are talking about Youtube, Wiki, Facebook and of course blogging. This proves that more Singaporeans are seeking entertainment, gathering information and staying connected with family and friends by using the Internet.
Globally, Sarah Palin became the most searched person in Google. She beat the likes of Heath Ledger, whose death was widely publicized, and President-elect Barack Obama. Social networking websites dominate the table with four finalists including Facebook (English), Wer Kennt Wen (German), Tuenti (Spanish) and Nasza Klasa (Polish).
Oh No! Watching TV Is Proven To Make Our Children FAT!
A recent report published by Common Sense Media entitled Media and Child and Adolescent Health: A Systematic Review revealed that there is strong correlation between media exposure and long-term harmful effects to children. The report reviewed 173 of the best studies from the last thirty years which examined the connection between the two variables.
[Photo taken from SOURCE.]
The strongest connection was found between the amount of time spent watching the television and childhood obesity. 86% of these studies found a statistically significant relationship between increased media exposure and a rise in childhood obesity. 82% of studies concluded that longer hours of media predicted increased weight over time. A longitudinal study involving 5,493 children revealed that those who spent more than eight hours watching the television per week at age three were significantly more likely to be obese at age seven.
“Media is increasingly pervasive in the lives of children and adolescents. Parents and educators must consider the effects of media when they’re trying to address issues with their child’s health. This report makes it clear that we need a bold new agenda on media and technology use. We hope this report will create a new sense of urgency in that regard.”- James P. Steyer, CEO and founder of Common Sense Media
The report also showed that the average modern child spends almost 45 hours a week totally immersed in the television, movies, magazines, music, the Internet, cellphones and video games. According to the study, this is well above the amount of time spent by children with their parents (17 hours a week) as well as in school (30 hours a week).
How Twitter Helped Build A New Classroom In Tanzania
For those of you who have yet heard of Twitter, it is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables users (or twitters as they name themselves) to post and read other users' updates (also known as tweets). The tweets are shown on the user's profile and delivered to other users who have signed up to receive them.
Tweetsgiving, an online project set up to help build a new classroom for a school in Tanzania, had managed to raise over $10,000 in just 48 hours just by utilizing Twitter. It was an extraordinary example of altruism all made possible thanks to the hard work and generosity of hundreds of Twitters. The ambitious project was initiated by Epic Change, a non-profit organization based in the USA.
The success of this project clearly demonstrated the power and influence of the social web. In this case, not only do Twitters provide a $10 donation to help by the bricks needed for the construction of the new classroom; they were also encouraged to follow at tweetsgiving to receive latest updates of the project and help spread the cause through other social media platforms such as Facebook. Those who donated $100 would become a 'Top Turkey'.
Social networking and blogging platforms can be useful in making this world a better place for people to live in. Who would ever taught Twitter could actually help build a new classroom in less than 48 hours?!
Recent Controversy Over Birthday Celebrations By JC Students: The Review
Several local bloggers and STOMPers have been censuring Junior College (JC) students recently for their 'inappropriate behaviour' while celebrating birthday bashes. Some have even went further by condemning the whole JC student population and questioning what values are being taught in their campuses.
The attacks happened when STOMP released two reports on JC students allegedly bullying and humiliating their schoolmates during their birthday celebrations. The two reports -one shining the spotlight on ACJC and the other on SAJC- were published only three days apart from each other. Both articles have attracted hundreds of comments.
So are the incidents a case of bullying or just merely fun birthday celebrations? We have to look at it by a case-by-case basis and study the videos carefully.
In my opinion, the birthday celebrations by the group of ACJC students may have gone a little overboard. The video clearly showed that the girl was feeling greatly uncomfortable throughout her ordeal. She was struggling throughout and was even crying at certain parts of the video. The victim's peers should have stopped the 'birthday bash' as soon as they heard her wails. Prolonging the activity could constitute the act as bullying as it can be viewed as an intentional physical assault to the victim.
What could have cause this is not due to the wrong or missing set of values taught in college; it all boils down to maturity degradation. The students have failed to respond to the circumstances in an appropriate manner. I am very sure they never intend to hurt or bully their friends, but the way they reacted to the girl's manifestations showed the emotional immaturity they possessed. They should have stopped the activity the moment they heard the victim cry.
However, the other article involving SAJC students slamming one of their friends genitals against a pole does not qualify to be labelled as a a bullying or ragging case. STOMP has totally misled their readers. If you look at the video closely enough, the boy's genitals did not even come into contact with the pole. The boy blocked the impact by using his inner thighs to protect his genitals.
STOMPers were quick to criticize the incident as a bullying. They pointed out how the boy struggled at the beginning, thus proving the above criticism. In my opinion, their accusations are inaccurate. Like any other sabotage, the element of surprise must have triggered an initial struggle. Nevertheless, after that the boy was laughing and was not struggling even when his friends grabbed his arms and legs. Thus, it is not a case of bullying.
I would also like to express my disappointment with how some STOMPers and bloggers commented that the birthday celebrations were a disgrace to JC students. They condemned the acts as childish and stupid. Well, such birthday bashes are very common among teenagers today. It is very unfortunate that the videos landed in the hands of profit-maximizing media firms with a following of mostly narrow-minded readers.
The comparisons between JC, Polytechnic and ITE students were also unnecessary. Some irresponsible parties are trying to exaggerate the whole issue. We do not look down on Polytechnic and ITE students. I saw a lot of similar comments about the alleged widespread elitism. All of them are not true and are merely generalized statements.
These two incidents have shown us how the new media may invade our privacy and turn facts into fiction. As to how the birthday celebrations were conducted inappropriately, I believe only the ACJC incident may have gone a little overboard. Other than that, such sabotaging birthday celebrations are common among youngsters today. And most importantly, they are for fun, laughter and joy.
Addicted To Sex
I first learnt about the sex addiction phenomenon in a report by Berita Harian on David Duchovny's public confession about his obsession with sex. What caught my attention was that the article claimed it was a mental illness. I began to wonder if he was simply mentally ill or sexually hyperactive?
And so I did a research and found interesting information related to the illness. Firstly, there is a scientific explanation to this newly-found 'media pet'. It is a mental illness caused by uncontrollable and excessive production of dopamine (a hormone) by the brain when the patient is engaging in sex. Patients are addicted to the pleasure of having sex and are unable to avoid it. They may even engage in fetishes with objects to satisfy their insatiable lust (spot the paradox?).
Recently, a 25-year-old British woman, Terri Hunter, broke news to the world regarding her sexual addiction. She told News Of The World that she had slept with over a thousand men, most of whom she met from the Internet. She is currently taking anti-depressants to control her addiction.
The question now is this: what could have caused such a mental illness? I believe the mass media has played a huge role in the development of sex addiction. Pornographic videos boast the high level of sexual pleasure enjoyed by the casts. The images are then played in the mind over and over again, gratifying his virtual desires. From here, curiosity kills his control for sexual pleasure; like how curiosity killed the cat.
Like the famous Pringles logo, 'Once you pop, you can't stop' - the same thing applies once he begins to imitate whatever that plays in his mind. Once you ahh, you just can't stop...
Obama Clearly Won Cyber War
Like many other millions of youngsters out there, I came to know about Obama via the Internet (or to be more specific Youtube). His speeches somehow threw a spell on me as I listened intently and closely to the message he was bringing across to his supporters. I felt as if I was hypnotized.
The new media has played a significant role in Obama's campaign. He knows and understands the power and influence of social networks, video sharing websites and blogs. Most importantly, he recognizes the pervasiveness of the new media in today's society - it's just everywhere.
Mr Obama has profiles in two of the most popular social networking or utility available in the Internet now - Facebook and MySpace. The profile pages acted like a medium for his campaign team to connect and communicate with party supporters. Moreover, having profiles in such 'hip and cool' websites effectively makes him appealing to younger Americans.
Mr Obama is probably the first Presidential candidate (now -elect) to have his very own video sharing website named after himself - Youbama.com. Fans share their videos through the website and are able to vote their favourite videos to the top.
Check out the statistics below comparing both candidates' website:
Pretty amazing right?
Hmm...I wonder if www.leehsienloong.com will be up soon...
Amy And Archie In A Relationship?
An original content brought to you by TPJCian Magazine.
Note: The story below is fictional. No harm is intended.
Amy and Archie have been trying to keep their relationship private, but it's all revealed now. In July, the couple got matching paintbrushes. Yesterday, the couple was spotted at a hotel in Tampines. Several witnesses say they were having intimate moments together in the swimming poll there. Nevertheless, Archie has denied the rumour and said that they were 'just friends'. Amy, on the other hand, could not be contacted. The college celebrities last made an appearance during the college open house in July.
__________________________________________________________
Source
Rihanna and Chris Brown having been trying to keep their relationship a secret, but it’s all out in the open now. In January the couple got matching neck tattoos. Yesterday, the couple were at the Hilton Kingston Hotel in Jamaica. A Witness said Chris and Rihanna were making out, kissing, and fondling each other a lot.
Sometimes I wonder how the stars of today are coping with the extensive media attention surrounding them. The paparazzi are everywhere. Is it a breach of privacy? If you ask me, my answer both Yes and No. Yes, because the reporters are not providing enough space for their own private time. No, because sometimes I feel the artistes themselves are also 'playing' with the media, taking advantage of the widespread coverage. The constant denials over an obvious fact or truth (like the one above) may be intentionally made to create suspense and develop more curiosity among fans or music lovers. Well, instead of admitting and ending the rumours fast, why not get your pictures published in tabloids for a longer period of time? You can sell more albums.
Media Propaganda On Russia vs Georgia Conflict
When news about the recent conflict between Georgia and Russia started to make waves, I grew skeptical about the credibility of the sources. As a history student, I comprehend the causes and motive of international conflicts, small or big. And so I was not at all surprised that an American interference followed almost immediately when the current Georgian leader, President Mikhail Saakashvili, announced through Western media that his country was being attacked by Russian troops.
What really happened in Georgia?
Some basic facts:
1. The citizens of South Ossetia have long expressed a desire to break away from Georgia and, in fact, declared themselves independent from Georgia in the 1990s.
2. On the first day of the 2008 Olympics, Georgia launched an all-out, "shock and awe" attack on numerous civilian targets in Tskhinvali, the capital city of South Ossetia
3. Russia, which shares a border and a long historical connection with South Ossetia, sent troops into the region to fight back the attacking Georgian military.
4. The arms for Georgia's attack on South Ossetia were largely provided by the US.
5. The US and UK news media have successfully managed to portray these events as a random, unprovoked and savage attack on Georgia by Russia.
Source
The rest of the story is simply a copy paste from my history textbooks. The agenda for further negotiations will revolve around the violation of human rights in the Russian's part and pressure by the Americans to remove the Russian troops. Oh yeah, don't be amazed to view news reports that (only) the Georgian citizens are languishing in the war - a slide show of photos depicting dead bodies and displaced people will be shown to tap your emotions. The next thing that may hit headlines is 'Georgia Gains Independence'. Proponents of Georgian independence can't wait longer.
The (Western) media is obviously controlling our minds. You only hear one side of the conflict. Why did the Russians suddenly send an exodus of troops in Georgia? There must be a reason why Vladimir Putin commanded his army into Georgia. Putin should realize by now how Chinese President Hu Jintao felt regarding the Tibet conflict. What about United Nations? It is completely useless for both cases as Russia and China are in the Security Council. Any attempt to pass a resolution is paralyzed since the countries can use their veto powers.
Take a look below on how the media tried to conceal the truth:
Sex Change, A Photoshop Cyber Bully Favourite
I have covered a topic on cyber bullying earlier this year. In that post, I discussed why cyber bullying is more dangerous than physical bullying. I gave an example of how cyber bullies victimized their prey using social networking websites such as MySpace. They would pretend to befriend their victims at first, before throwing insults at them in a heinous attempt to smash their victims' confidence and self-esteem. To them, that is victory.
Being the cunning wolf in the Little Red Riding Hood is just one of a cyber bully's favourite malicious acts. Hidden in his sleeves is another tool that is fast becoming widespread in the Internet - the Photoshop. The (Adobe) Photoshop is a graphics editing program developed by Adobe Systems which allows its users to edit their pictures for their own personal or commercial use. The program is so famous that the word 'photoshop' is widely used to describe an action when one is modifying his or her pictures.
You can do almost anything with Photoshop - sharpen your nose, shape your body to look slimmer and even tone your skin. To a cyber bully, the features allow them to explore outside the box to drown their victims, including a 'sex change operation' for his victims. The Lasso tool effectively creates a boundary around the victim's face. Next, the dark artist will copy the face and paste it over a woman's. He completes the artwork with a few small adjustments so that everything looks real and perfect. There you go, sex change in less than 5 minutes. The end product usually ends up in the e-mail inbox of thousands of people or maybe even in the photo-sharing websites such as Photobucket. Imagine the humiliation.
Oh well, you get what I mean.
Are You A True TPJCian?
Remember those IQ/personality tests your friends used to to send you via e-mail. Well, we have decided to create one just for you. The purpose is to show you how the online quizzes create a false reflection of yourself as an individual. Some of the questions are ridiculous. At the end of the test, the result will be shown to you. There are quite a number of people out there who used the results as a guide in their lives, especially the ones concerning love. As a result, the relationship fails to last. There are also instances whereby self-esteem is shattered upon receiving the test results. Imagine finding out that you are 'gay' or 'lesbian'.
Go ahead and take the test.
SuperPoke!ing And Your Real Life
I checked my e-mail inbox today and my eyes were fixated to an e-mail entitled, "You've been SuperPoked!". Apparently, my friend has 'given gold' to me. Being a good friend as I am, I decided to SuperPoke! back. It took me ten seconds to sign in my Facebook account, before I started to skim through the various available actions I can choose to SuperPoke! her back. It has to be unique; something that her other friends would never have thought of. After a painstaking three minutes or so, I decided to choose this:
Yes, I decided to name a sewage plant after her. How romantic can I be?
OK, that is besides the point. The objective of writing this post is to show to you guys how the Internet - or to be more precise, online social networking - allows us to do things which is not possible to be done in real life. You can't throw a sheep at your friend, can you? Do that, and the next thing you will find is headlines about you violating animal rights the next morning. And if that does not satisfy the sadism in you, you can 'drop a bomb' on your friend.
I have always wondered if Amnesty International or People For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals (PETA) will step up and launch another campaign against VIRTUAL violation of human and animal rights respectively. Well, a virtually naked U.S. Olympic swimmer Amanda Beard is not bad. I have always wondered if such organizations are getting worried that social network users, especially the impressionable youngsters may be influenced by the actions and perhaps even imitate them! It's just like how you watch kissing scenes over and over again throughout your teenage years. Soon, you get curious and want to know how it feels like to lock lips with your partner.
Well, it we explore the other side of the issue, SuperPoke!ing can serve as an alternative for people with brutal or violent behaviour. Ahhh...instead of body slamming your friend in college, you can now do it in the virtual world. I am fully aware that there are people who enjoy hitting their friends for fun, laughter and joy. Unfortunately, it's a dangerous sport. Well, Superpoke!ing can save those bruises all over the body. It is fun, too.
Moreover, I also believe SuperPoke!ing can -to a certain extent- improve your social relations. Instead of typing a message to inform your loved ones that you are all right during your overseas trip, you may choose to 'blow a kiss' at them. Your friends can reply back with a 'high five'. It's a fun virtual interaction between you and your social circle. A SuperPoke! feature which allows you to send the action to your friends is a bonus, as it saves time. If you are shy and wish to make new friends, being nice and sending the 'smile at' action to him or her may help you.
As for me, I hope my lovely friend smiles when she discovers that there is a sewage plant named after her.
Cyber Bullying 2.0: The Real Story
Written by azhar.
Names used are fictitious.
Two years ago, two of my classmates were the masterminds behind an insidious plot to bully an innocent schoolmate. Her name was Honey. She was obese and had a weird behaviour. Everyone ridiculed her online eccentricities - she would always boast about guys chasing after her. My classmates, Jasmine and her accomplice, Jenny, decided to create an entirely fake Friendster account and use it to 'befriend' their target. They were curious and wanted to know who the guys were as there were no pictures posted in her Friendster profile. It was an attempt to prove if she was fabricating the stories or otherwise.
And so, Dave was born. Dave's job was simple. He would 'befriend' Honey and exchange messages with her. Jasmine and Jenny brainstormed Dave's personal information that would be included in his Friendster profile. Everything was made up, of course. After Dave's particulars were finally recorded, they registered his profile and within minutes it was ready, complete with a new profile layout and pictures that they grabbed in the Internet.
For the next two months, Jasmine and Jenny had a lot of fun sharing the personal messages from Honey to their friends including me. The whole class would crowd around the school computer and laugh at the messages. It was very obvious that Honey trusted Dave completely even though they never met! She would share almost everything about her life to Dave. However, this was not the end. Jasmine and Jenny were elated by the success and they had plans to share it with the entire school population.
Since Honey's Friendster account was private, only friends that she accepted could receive and read the messages online. Jasmine and Jenny wanted to expose the messages between Dave and her by posting it in a blog, so that everyone could view it any time. To prevent readers from suspecting that the blog was not genuine, they decided to update about Dave's personal life. Everything they blogged about was fiction.
Dave's blog and Friendster profile soon became very popular in school. For the first time, all my schoolmates could witness and decide for themselves if Honey was just fabricating her love stories or otherwise. We grew more convinced that she was indeed living in a fantasy world of her own: She claimed that she had met with Dave in her instant messenger display name. It was not true. Dave was merely an online fictitious character. He never existed.
As months passed by, news broke out that Honey had discovered the blog and was depressed after reading it. There were rumours that she would cry every time she visited the blog. Honey stopped contacting Dave as soon as she detected the (evil) plot. No one really knew what happened to her hereafter. She did not have many friends. Her classmates alienated as much as we did. Dave's Friendster account and blog soon died in weeks.
If the blog was still 'alive' up to date, my classmates and I would be celebrating its 3rd anniversary. As I reminisced about the past, I felt grateful it never lasted that long. The consequences would be dreadful if it did. I stumbled upon news that many teenagers had committed suicide after being mortified online. Little did I know that my classmates and I had actually committed a serious offence two years back - cyber bullying. We never thought of the harmful consequences that would affect our target. All we wanted was evidence that our victim was living in a fantasy world of her own.
Cyber bullying involves the use of information and communication technologies to taunt and harm an individual or a group intentionally and repeatedly. Cyber bullies utilize the Internet to inflict emotional pain to their victims and sometimes injure the dignity of their targets. These online predators usually remain anonymous as they erode their prey's self-esteem.
Ryan Halligan was a 13-year-old boy from Vermont in the USA. In school, he was constantly taunted for months as being homosexual. Classmates started to spread the rumour via instant messaging. A popular female classmate then pretended to be interested in him and chatted with him online regularly, before exchanging and forwarding the conversation to her friends. Unable to cope with the humiliation, Ryan committed suicide.
Ryan is only one of the hundreds of teenagers out there being bullied online. A 2007 study by the US-based Pew Internet & American Life Project found that one-third of American teenage internet users have been targets of online ruffians. The emergence of social-networking websites has also taken cyber bullying into a whole new level - more public and collaboration. Cyber bullying has become more 'deadly' than the usual schoolyard bullying. Below are the reasons why:
It is more public
In the past, bullying usually occurred in schools. The offenders would choose their targets and torment their victims with physical or verbal bullying. The most common were name-calling, teasing and sometimes kicking or hitting the victims. Such instances would happen during breaks in school, usually within the bully's circle of friends or classmates. The target would be dragged into a secluded place, away from the rest of the school population, so that no one could witness and inform the teachers regarding the bullying.
Everything has changed now. The emergence of social-networking websites and instant messaging networks has enabled bullying to be shared and spread to hundreds of people. It would be bad enough to be taunted by one person while only a few students knew about it, but a video or blog post seen by hundreds of people could be devastating. Some netizens might even join in the bullying by supporting the online delinquent. Can you imagine someone recording an embarrassing moment whereby you fell on the ground and the next thing you knew was 2,000 people have viewed the video in YouTube in less than 24 hours? In Singapore, over 70 per cent of students have access to the Internet. The humiliation would be overwhelming.
Click HERE to view YouTube's efforts to combat cyber bullying.
It is 24/7 everyday
In the past, bullying stopped when the bell rang and students would disperse back to their classes. Bullies usually picked on their targets during breaks and sometimes after school. They had limited time to intimidate their prey. There was no way they could continue tormenting their classmates in class unless their teachers were not present. Bullying usually occurred only during the weekdays in school. The weekends were the only time the victims could escape torture.
Cyber bullying has taken schoolyard bullying into a whole new level. Bullies can now make insulting remarks and humiliate their victims online any time they want. Weekends do not mean a break for the victims now; in fact, weekends are the best time for the online ruffians along with their friends to antagonize their victims as they have more leisure time. No one is there to stop them. The bullying will continue everyday without cessation. Technology has also allowed bullying to occur even when in class. The bullies tend to use this time to record or snap pictures of their targets in action. Imagine having to be scrutinized almost every hour of the day. It can be maddening.
- 42% of kids have been bullied while online. 1 in 4 have had it happen more than once.
- 35% of kids have been threatened online. Nearly 1 in 5 have had it happen more than once.
- 21% of kids have received mean or threatening e-mail or other messages.
- 58% of kids admit someone has said mean or hurtful things to them online. More than 4 out of 10 say it has happened more than once.
- 53% of kids admit having said something mean or hurtful to another person online. More than 1 in 3 have done it more than once.
- 58% have not told their parents or an adult about something mean or hurtful that happened to them online.
Cyber Bullying Statistics
It is anonymous
John Carr, chairman of the Children's Charities' Coalition for Internet Safety in London once explained, "On the playground, seeing the stress and pain of the victim face to face can act as an inhibitor to some degree. In cyberspace, where there is no visual contact, you get more extreme behaviour."
This is probably the most serious reason why bullying in the digital age is more 'deadly' than physical or verbal bullying. In the past when bullying is usually done in schools, bullies would stop afflicting their victims when they started to moan in pain or threaten to shout. In cyber bullying, students sometimes do not realize that their actions may hurt the feelings of their peers. This was proven in the case of my classmates who never suspected that they were doing was inflicting a deep emotional pain in their target, Honey. They realized their mistakes and stopped only when news broke out about Honey's emotional distress.
Furthermore, the psychological ramifications of not knowing who was bullying you could be infuriating. The identity of the bully is often concealed as he can appear as anonymous or even create a fake character to disguise himself. The bully could be anyone - your close friend, a schoolmate or even your sibling. It can make the victim paranoid and sometimes too sensitive to the surroundings. Hence, anonymity can definitely amplify the negative effect of bullying on the victim. Cyber bullying is insidious.
No tell-tale signs
In the past, parents could easily detect any tell-tale signs if their children were being bullied - a black eye or a bloody lip. Now, parents can no longer count on those tell-tale signs to alert them if their children were being taunted in school. Cyber bullying has a more psychological and emotional impact to its victims. The targets would usually hide it to prevent embarrassment. Cyber bullying may not inflict any physical injury, but it sure does have a deep and much more painful emotional repercussion. He may not be able to cope and kill himself in the end.
Cyber Bullying and Singapore
The law
Teo Wee Meng, a trainer in cyber crimes in the Criminal Investigation Department, said if there's "malicious intent", miscreants will be "charged in court, and will either be jailed or fined".
However, experts believe that having laws are just one side of the coin.
Said Esther: "To eliminate cyber-bullying, it will help if students know that the law in Singapore does not tolerate cyber-bullying. Knowing that cyber bullies can be prosecuted may deter people from doing so."
Wed, Mar 12, 2008
The Straits Times
Statistics
Singapore has the second highest number of cyber-bullying cases after the US, says new survey.Esther Ng, founder of the Coalition Against Bullying for Children & Youth, an agency that provides resources for people to seek help on bullying issues, agreed. She cited a 2006 survey of 3,488 Singaporean students in which 25 per cent - or 872 students - admitted to having been victimised online.
Another 31 per cent said that the online victimisation was in addition to physical bullying they also faced.
Citing studies published by WiredSafety.org, Poh Yeang Cherng, manager of Touch Cyber Wellness & Sports, said: "There are far more reports of cyber- bullying from Singapore on a per capita basis compared to all other countries except for the United States."
Wed, Mar 12, 2008
The Straits Times
Cases
A TEACHER has come under fire after his blog entry mocking his Primary 3 pupils was discovered and its
URL passed to other netizens.The relief teacher had posted online four excerpts from different compositions written by his pupils and accompanying them, he had commented: "I have three terribly ridiculous compositions... a source of entertainment, I should say... I will type it out... no corrections or whatsoever... enjoy!"
He later added a fourth composition.
A primary school teacher who only wanted to be known as Ms Wong, 28, felt the blogger was not professional.
"If he puts it on his blog such that the children can improve, it's okay. If it's to amuse himself, then it's not," she said.
Mon, Feb 18, 2008
my paper
It may be the school holidays, but 12-year-old Michelle, who studies in a reputable girl's school, has had no respite from bullying by her classmates in cyberspace.
Michelle's pictures have been defaced and she has also been insulted in a blog with over 7,000 hits.
The cyber-bullying follows months of being ostracised in school.
Michelle claims vulgarities were uttered in her face and her classmates even threatened to stab her with a pencil.
Michelle has submitted a report to the school, but when her mother spoke to the school authorities, they asked if her daughter was being overly sensitive.
CNA
18th June '08
Ban On Pornographic Websites Will Not Work?
Written by azhar.
Our loyal readers had voted and here are the results:
Thank you for participating. I agree with the results of the online poll. Banning two pornographic websites is not efficient enough to protect the young ones from such negative influence. Education and supervision are the best two methods to ensure teenagers don't get exposed to pornographic material which may ruin their morals. Sexuality education is necessary. Parents to teach their children what is right or wrong when they are young. Don't wait or procrastinate; teenagers value and listen to our peers more as we spend most of our time in school.
Find It
About Us
Recommended
Featured
