Assignment

NINE IN 10 TEEN BOYS IN SINGAPORE EXPOSED TO PORN: SURVEY

Corresponding ratio for teen girls is less than one in 10; figures up since 2014 survey

Janice Tai

Nine in every 10 teenage boys in Singapore have watched or read sexually explicit materials within the past year, a survey has found, with some first exposed to it even before they start primary school. In contrast, only 8 per cent of girls - less than one in 10 - admitted to viewing pornography last year, either intentionally or by accident.

Conducted by Touch Cyber Wellness, the main agency that gives online safety talks in schools here, the survey polled 921 students aged 13 to 15 to examine teenage exposure to pornography.

It did the first such survey on teenage exposure to pornography two years ago and followed up with a second one earlier this year. Compared with the first survey, there is an increase of 6 to 14 per cent of the boys and girls who have been exposed to pornography.

The main mode of accessing pornographic materials is through personal mobile devices.

Of those who viewed such content, 88 per cent of boys and 73 per cent of girls saw it on their smartphones or tablets. This is an increase of 6 per cent to 8 per cent compared with the 2014 survey. The earliest age of exposure is upper primary and below for 52 per cent of the boys who accessed such material, and 28 per cent for the girls.

Experts say the findings are worrying as such content can affect children's studies, self-esteem, interpersonal relationships, and their attitudes and behaviour towards love and sex. If addiction sets in, it may lead to various forms of dysfunction and sexual crimes.

When asked how they were first exposed to pornography, 54 per cent of the boys said they searched for it intentionally on the Net while 43 per cent of the girls stumbled upon it while surfing online

Question 1

The survey on teenage exposure to pornography was first conducted in 2014 and again in 2016. The results from the second survey show that "compared with the first survey, there is an increase of 6 to 14 per cent of the boys and girls who have been exposed to pornography."

a) Critically evaluate the sampling issues in the above study especially with reference to the validity of the study's claims. Propose solutions where necessary.

b) Apply your knowledge of longitudinal and cross-sectional research designs to identify the research design applied in this study. Furthermore, briefly discuss the appropriateness of this study's research design in addressing its research question(s).

c) The survey is likely to be based on a nominal scale. Briefly examine why ordinal and interval scales may be better alternatives. Additionally, construct one survey question plus response options (as based on the above survey) each to reflect the use of ordinal and interval scales.