The FPB study surveyed more than 1,000 South African children between the ages of 13 and 17. According to the data, 67 percent of the children said they had seen pornographic films online, with 45 percent admitting to having seen at least four titles.
The survey — Internet Usage and Exposure of South African Youth to Pornography — used a comprehensive questionnaire to detail the online habits of the nation’s children.
The survey also revealed that 23 percent of the children had been exposed to an online stranger who made sexually explicit suggestions or requests.
An FPB spokesman warned that parents needed to be vigilant in protecting their children from pornography given advances in technology such as the Internet and cellphones.
According to Patrick Hoar of Kids Online, a website dedicated to helping parents police their children’s cyberspace activities, kids between the ages of 12 and 17 are particularly vulnerable.
"Many of these kids find these websites by pure accident,” he said. “My advice to parents is to download a program like K9, which can block out porn sites and other adult-related sites. It is a free program and it will even help parents monitor the sites their children visit."