TAOISEACH WARNS OVER TIDE OF PORN
Leo Varadkar says we live in an era of ‘prevalent pornography’
THE Taoiseach has admitted that pornography has become ‘prevalent’ in modern society, following the ‘rape list’ incident at a Co. Cork school.
Leo Varadkar said it was ‘very worrying’ that a list of girls’ names – with the chilling heading ‘The girls with the most number of ticks will get raped’ – was posted on the wall of a boys’ toilet at Davis College in Mallow this week.
The school authorities have since confirmed that two similar lists appeared in previous weeks and that it was investigating who was behind them. Gardaí have also been alerted.
Speaking in Limerick yesterday, the Taoiseach warned that today’s children live in an age of ‘prevalent pornography’
and social media. His comments will fuel growing concerns that children are being exposed to violent and hardcore pornography because of unfettered access to the internet, particularly through smartphones.
Campaigners believe that misogynistic text messages and videos, exchanged by the men acquitted in the Belfast rugby rape trial, are a clear illustration of the ‘pornification’ of a generation of young men – although governments have largely refused to accept that they should take an active role in protecting children from such content.
However, the Taoiseach’s admission that we live in ‘the age of prevalent pornography’ will increase pressure on ministers to take firm action to stop children being able to view such content, which experts agree has a deeply damaging effect on their view of sex, relationships and the role of women.
It is likely to further fuel support for measures such as a ban on smartphones in schools and age limits on smartphone ownership, which are already supported by the majority of parents and growing numbers of teachers and doctors.
A female student from Davis College yesterday told local Cork radio station Red FM that the ‘rape list’ had been circulated on social media by pupils at the school. She said: ‘Some of the girls may be afraid that it might get out. I don’t mean by the media but on social media. The reason I saw the list is because it was shared on Snapchat. The reason I saw it is because a boy sent it to a girl to show her what was going on.’
The principal of Davis College, Stephen Gilbert, has confirmed that three rape lists were circulated in the school.
‘The list [on the toilet door] was the first time that it was brought to the attention of school management. School management has now been made aware that there were two other lists and a thorough investigation is under way to investigate who may have been the author(s) of the lists.’
A report by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in the UK last month found that primary school pupils have needed counselling after watching hardcore pornography online. They saw the graphic images – sometimes by accident – because of a lack of proper age restrictions on the web to prevent children accessing porn.
In Ireland, the ISPCC said last year that it was aware of cases of children as young as six being exposed to hardcore pornography, with another girl aged just nine saying she had sent explicit images of herself to classmates as she felt it was ‘expected of her’.
An Irish Daily Mail/Ireland Thinks poll revealed in January
‘A boy sent list to a girl to show her’
that more than two thirds of people support a smartphone ban for those aged under 16.
And according to a survey by TheJournal.ie, 75.7% of people are in favour of teenagers under the age of 14 being banned from using the handheld devices. A similar poll early this year added to pressure on the Government to legislate on smartphone ownership, as 56% of people told RTÉ’s Claire Byrne Live that children should not be allowed to use smartphones until they are teenagers.
Apple investors have urged the tech giant to do more to protect children, urging the firm in an open letter, to take action against child smartphone addiction.
In February, 92 principals from across the country told the Irish Daily Mail that they backed the idea of an age restriction, while a number of teachers at teacher union conferences told the Mail this week that they wanted the Education Minister to issue a straight ban rather than holding a consultation process.
Patrick Martin, principal of St Mochta’s National School in Co. Louth, said children as young as 11 can view porn on smartphones. He said their access to porn is distorting their expectations of sex, and adults are doing a ‘disservice’ to them by ignoring its influence.
‘If you’re going to shy away from putting an age restriction on access to phones, it’s frightening to say it, but things like pornography will have to be discussed at primary school level,’ he said.