SHAH ALAM, July 13 – A study conducted by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) found that 75 percent of teenagers, especially boys, have watched explicit videos or seen explicit images. Associate Professor Dr. Noor Azimah Muhammad, a lecturer at the Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine UKM, said that the study conducted in 2021 showed that most of them were teenage boys who were exposed to such content while studying in secondary school and frequently using the internet alone at home.
According to her, the use of the internet and social media today makes it easier for teenagers to access pornographic videos or images without being detected by their parents. She said that this immoral behavior is supported by the availability of WiFi facilities either in their own homes or in certain premises where teenagers do not need to spend their own money. “There was a case of a male student admitting to watching more than 200 pornographic videos a day just to satisfy his sexual desires, leading to masturbation and eventually engaging in casual sex while studying in college.
“Watching pornography can lead to addiction, which can make them prone to engaging in risky sexual behavior and experiencing sexually transmitted infections such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) or syphilis. “In another study conducted in 2013 on 988 college students, the data showed that 10 percent of them had engaged in sexual activities, while five percent were highly active in doing so,” she said in a statement on Wednesday.
In addition, the sexual activities carried out by teenagers are high-risk, as they tend to change partners, engage in homosexual and bisexual activities, fail to use condoms or contraceptives, and engage in sexual activities under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Furthermore, similar findings were seen in the National Health Morbidity Study 2017, where 7.3 percent of teenagers aged 13 to 17 years old had engaged in sexual activities before the age of 14, and five percent were active in doing so.
“Almost all of them engage in unsafe sex, without using condoms or contraceptives, and 40 percent of new HIV cases involve teenagers,” said Dr. Noor Azimah. She emphasized that this situation occurs due to the lack of monitoring from parents who are too busy with work and not being at home. Meanwhile, she also stated that parents have a responsibility to play a primary role in protecting teenagers from engaging in risky sexual activities before marriage.
“The first thing parents need to do is to provide sexual education to their children at home. “Some of the topics that need to be explained are what sex is, risky sex, complications of casual sex, sexually transmitted infections, and unplanned pregnancies,” she explained. At the same time, she said that the feeling of shame within parents and children is a major factor in the failure to communicate about teenage sexuality within the family institution. She stated that the term ‘sex’ is often considered taboo and vulgar, which makes it difficult for parents to use the term when discussing it with their children.
“As a substitute, parents may use the term ‘sexual relationship,’ but teenagers may be confused about the definitions of both terms,” she said. Dr. Noor Azimah believes that this role needs to be carried out responsibly, such as seeking information about adolescent sexual education or increasing knowledge through reading and educational events. Additionally, such information can also assist teachers in schools as there is no one else who can do it except the parents themselves.
