Film and Publication Board concerned about the increase in cyber bullying

Lusanda Bill
05 June 2015

The Film and Publication Board is today hosting a dialogue on the protection of children online in partnership with the University of the Free State.

A survey conducted by the FPB in three provinces the Western Cape, Gauteng and Mpumalanga, found that 63 percent of girls surveyed had been exposed to online pornography compared to 58.7 percent of boys surveyed.

FPB’s Public Education Manager Janine Raftopoulos said we have seen an increase in cyber bullying of young kids, texting as well as posting of sexual explicit pictures. As this problem becomes more and more because we are using our cellphones, tablets and laptops more, we need to embrace the internet but we also need to be aware.

Raftopoulos said kids don’t know that actually if you post a sexually explicit image of another child, there can be prosecution down the line because there are laws in place to protect people. Its defamation of character, things go viral so be very careful when you press send.