Lessons must be learned about effect of internet on kids

THE nation has been shocked by tales of sexual abuse in schools. The Everyone’s Invited website was launched to give a voice to girls who had suffered at the hands of male pupils. Thousands shared their experiences of sexual harrassment, assault, abuse and even rape.

In response, the NSPCC has launched a new helpline to support victims and the Government has asked Ofsted to investigate the severity of what has been described as a toxic rape culture and review safeguarding policies.

A factor in all this has to be the fact that every young person with a phone or computer has access to the tsunami of pornography on the internet.

Cole Porter wrote that birds do it, bees do it, even educated fleas do it.

He meant fall in love. But there are no euphamisms or love on the world wide web where sex is often shown as abusive with the male as an aggressor.

The danger is some boys may think it’s normal and some girls may think it’s expected.

We never had sex education when I went to school. Biology mainly concentrated on the life of the amoeba and dissecting frogs. The raciest imagery my generation saw was Health and Efficiency, a naturist magazine with black and white photographs of lumpy adults in the buff in such activities as gardening or tennis. It put me off gardening and tennis for life.

I’m pleased my daughters grew up in a pre-internet age without its dangers but I’m worried about how it might affect my grandchildren.

Let’s hope this is a watershed moment about a problem many have suspected, but dare not speak its name, because sex and sex education are embarrassing. It has to be the responsibility of both teachers and parents to ensure children know how to behave at a time when their hormones are hyperactive. They need to be told that what they see on the internet is not acceptable behaviour. That respect has to be a part of any relationship.

Those teenage years are a rite of passage that can be confusing, exciting and dangerous. They deserve to be more Cole Porter than abusive.