Many parents voiced their escalating worry and were desperate for measures to stop their teenage children from watching porn films at a workshop held Saturday in Hanoi. Organized at the Olympia Schools in Tu Liem District, the workshop was attended by troubled parents of students enrolled in the school system and several other schools. Most participants said they were at a loss how to react properly when learning to their shock that their young children had watched or downloaded obscene images or sex films. A video clip, which was created by a number of high school students in Hanoi and caused quite a stir some time ago, was screened at the beginning of the Saturday meeting. The clip featured middle and high school students being candid that they had watched porn since their sixth or seventh grade while responding to an interview. Most of them expected their parents’ fury when they learned of their act, but that did not stop their curiosity about sex. H., a worried parent of two kids in their fifth and third grades, divulged that she gave her elder child an iPhone 3 for communication and English learning purposes. Some days ago, she was shocked to catch her child watching a porn film in his own room. The finding came as a devastating blow because the child often shies away from kissing scenes while watching films with H. and her husband. Another parent, T., anxiously said that he found porn websites on his child’s computers when looking at the browsing history. Some others revealed they unwittingly surfed the Internet on their digital devices in front of other people when sexually explicit images suddenly popped up, leaving them embarrassed. It turned out someone had got access to sex websites on their handsets before. They later went numb at their children’s confession to browsing this sort of content and indifferent attitude that “all our peers have done the same thing.” The children made an even more startling disclosure that several of their friends had grown fond of gay and lesbian sex movies. A number of parents also expressed their bewilderment at the workshop at how to respond to their underage children’s questions on gender-related issues. They also raised questions as to what extent and when they should educate their children on sex and reproductive health. Christopher McDonald, an educationist with many years of experience in educational management in the U.S., who is now the general principal of the Olympia Schools, underlined that unlike Westerners, Asians tend to be sterner when it comes to gender and porn issues. That may end Asian parents up in immense difficulties when educating and counseling their children on sensitive topics. He explained that when teenagers, particularly males, come of age, they may masturbate. They will watch porn while tossing off, he added. “The act is physically normal but may become an addiction if it veers away from the norm. If parents find it difficult to talk to their children about sexual matters and skip the task, the Internet will do it for them, in its own way,” McDonald elaborated. The expert urged Vietnamese parents not make a fuss about their children watching porn, or drive them to feel guilty about the act. “They should be their children’s best friend and confidant instead,” he advised. Speaking at the workshop, Associate Professor Le Van Hao, stressed that parents should help their children make sensible choices in different situations, instead of keeping around-the-clock guard over or imposing their own will on their children. “Apart from watching porn, children are also prone to other social ills which are well out of families and schools’ reach,” he noted. Assoc. Prof. Hao also suggested that parents set examples by not indulging in such pornographic content to avoid being caught in the act by their children, which might lead to the kids imitating them.
More
Vietnam to amend national power plan to include nuclear energy
The PDP8 will be amended in a way to also add more renewables to the mix, including solar and wind
Read more
A pedestrian-only Bui Vien in the works
7 years agoInto underground metro tunnel construction site in Ho Chi Minh City
Almost a fifth of the underground metro tunnel running through District 1 in Ho Chi Minh City has been complete after only two months of construction.
7 years agoLatest news
Man blocks on-duty ambulance in Ho Chi Minh City
The man's motives are unknown
Vietnam swears in new state president
Luong Cuong is the successor to Party General Secretary To Lam
Breakfast @ Tuoi Tre News — October 22
Good morning from Vietnam!
Vietnam to amend national power plan to include nuclear energy
The PDP8 will be amended in a way to also add more renewables to the mix, including solar and wind
Int’l banks raise Vietnam’s GDP growth forecast for 2024
Vietnam's economic growth momentum is relatively strong, with improvements in many areas such as export and import, manufacturing, retail, real estate, and tourism
Mammoth project in Ho Chi Minh City’s Ben Thanh quadrangle transferred to Hanoi-based property firm
The 8,600-square-meter complex project intersects four main streets Pham Ngu Lao, Pho Duc Chinh, Le Thi Hong Gam, and Calmette
Ecotourism thrives with visitors seeking green activities in south-central Vietnam
Lodging facilities and businesses have also limited single-use plastic products
SE Asia’s largest hot-air balloon festival might kick off in Da Lat
If the festival proceeds, it will feature hot-air balloon performances, paid hot-air balloon rides, paragliding shows, and carnival street parades
Vietnam PM says aiming to lift 2024 growth above 7%
Vietnam's gross domestic product is expected to grow by 6.8%-7.0% this year, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh told parliament on Monday
3 dead as overturned truck crushes motorbike in Vietnam
The truck crushed three people on a motorbike and killed them instantly