X
theAsianparent Logo
theAsianparent Logo
Product Guide
Sign in
  • Pregnancy
    • Due date calculator
    • I'm pregnant
    • Trying To Conceive
    • Labour
    • After birth
    • Baby loss
  • Parenting
    • Parent's Guide
    • Relationship & Sex
  • Child
    • Newborn
    • Baby
    • Toddler
    • Pre-Schooler
    • Kid
    • Pre-Teen & Teen
  • Feeding & Nutrition
    • Diseases-Injuries
    • Breastfeeding & Formula
    • Meal Planner
    • Health
    • Allergies & Conditions
    • Vaccinations
  • Education
    • Pre-School
    • Primary School
    • Secondary School
    • Primary School Directory
  • Lifestyle
    • Money
    • Travel & Leisure
    • Fashion
    • Home
    • Fitness
    • Contests & promotions
  • Events
  • Aptamil
    • Immunity
    • Intelligence
  • TAP Recommends
  • Shopping
  • Press Releases
  • Project Sidekicks
  • Community
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • VIP

Child Find Porn On WhatsApp: A Warning For Parents

7 Jan, 2019
Child Find Porn On WhatsApp: A Warning For Parents

Without sufficient human moderators, disturbing content is freely shared on WhatsApp’s groups.

Parents, be aware and cautious of the dangers of WhatsApp if you let your kids use it. The world’s preferred global messaging app has become a place for people to share pictures and videos of illegal child pornography.  

According to the Financial Times, researchers found dozens of active WhatsApp groups where media depicting extensive sexual abuse of children are “openly shared”.  

Researchers looked at third-party apps that recommend WhatsApp groups based on interest.  Here, links to chat groups that trade images of child exploitation can be found with visible references to explicit profile photos.  

These researchers claimed to have shared their findings with Facebook (Facebook owns WhatsApp). Nevertheless, these many of these groups are still ‘active’.

“It is a disaster: this sort of material was once mostly found on the Darknet (portions of the Internet purposefully not open to public view) . Now it’s on WhatsApp,” says one of the researchers in the report.

Dangers of WhatsApp for kids

Dangers Of Whatsapp

Dangers Of Whatsapp for kids: Child pornography is a growing global problem. | Image Source: Pixabay

WhatsApp is not the only social platform that finds it difficult to keep child porn off its network.  Apple’s App Store removed Tumbler for a month last November, also because of child porn.

For WhatsApp, its end-to-end encryption protects users with an extra layer of privacy. However, this means that law enforcers are unable to see the contents of messages that are suspected to contain abusive or illegal activity.

It also means that Facebook cannot use the same detection tools on its site to monitor WhatsApp. Furthermore WhatsApp only has 300 employees to monitor its 1.5 billion global users. In contrast, Facebook employs thousands of content moderators.

Against the law

There are currently no specific provisions regarding child pornography in Singapore. Existing laws, such as those under the Films Act, are used to tackle these cases.

For example, putting up obscene content online may be an offence under the Films Act or Undesirable Publications Act. It is also against the law to keep or sell pornographic material.

Proposals in the Penal Code review in 2018 includes suggestions to make it an offence to  seek, accessing and possessing of child abuse material. This is aimed at keeping children safe from predators and abuse. 

Reporting Child Porn to WhatsAapp

WhatsApp says it will ban a user if they believe is submitting content that is illegal, obscene or encourages conduct that would be illegal.

Here are their tips:

  • You can send reports to WhatsApp from inside the app.
  • Please provide as much information as possible. 
  • When needed, take a screenshot of the content and share it, along with any available contact info.
  • Report a contact or a group from their profile information using the following steps:
  1. Open the chat.
  2. Tap on the contact or group name to open their profile information.
  3. Scroll to the bottom and tap Report contact or Report group.

Also read: Horrified parents find more than just porn on Musical.ly and child pornography is the fastest growing internet business

Source:  Businessinsider and WhatsApp

Partner Stories
What to Expect the First 24 Hours After Giving Birth
What to Expect the First 24 Hours After Giving Birth
Are You Ready for PlayFACTO School’s Islandwide Open House Extravaganza?
Are You Ready for PlayFACTO School’s Islandwide Open House Extravaganza?
21st Century Parenting 101: Hear From Our Experts About Everything from S.T.E.M to Your Child’s Digital Well Being
21st Century Parenting 101: Hear From Our Experts About Everything from S.T.E.M to Your Child’s Digital Well Being
Is Your Child’s Tummy Troubles Causing You Sleepless Nights? Lactogen 3 is Your Solution!
Is Your Child’s Tummy Troubles Causing You Sleepless Nights? Lactogen 3 is Your Solution!

Got a parenting concern? Read articles or ask away and get instant answers on our app. Download theAsianparent Community on iOS or Android now!

img
Written by

Elaine Boey

  • Home
  • /
  • News
  • /
  • Child Find Porn On WhatsApp: A Warning For Parents
Share:
  • WhatsApp group for babies born in 2013

    WhatsApp group for babies born in 2013

  • 6-year-old boy's body found hidden inside parent's home

    6-year-old boy's body found hidden inside parent's home

  • Melissa Faith Yeo Claims Andie Chen Accused Her of Cheating to Get Pity Votes for Star Awards

    Melissa Faith Yeo Claims Andie Chen Accused Her of Cheating to Get Pity Votes for Star Awards

  • STUDY: Nagging Mothers with High Expectations Raise Successful Daughters - What Does It Mean For You?

    STUDY: Nagging Mothers with High Expectations Raise Successful Daughters - What Does It Mean For You?

  • WhatsApp group for babies born in 2013

    WhatsApp group for babies born in 2013

  • 6-year-old boy's body found hidden inside parent's home

    6-year-old boy's body found hidden inside parent's home

  • Melissa Faith Yeo Claims Andie Chen Accused Her of Cheating to Get Pity Votes for Star Awards

    Melissa Faith Yeo Claims Andie Chen Accused Her of Cheating to Get Pity Votes for Star Awards

  • STUDY: Nagging Mothers with High Expectations Raise Successful Daughters - What Does It Mean For You?

    STUDY: Nagging Mothers with High Expectations Raise Successful Daughters - What Does It Mean For You?

Get advice on your pregnancy and growing baby. Sign up for our newsletter
  • Pregnancy
    • Baby
    • Education
    • Events
    • Allergies & Conditions
  • Family Occasions
    • Breastfeeding & Formula
    • Child Safety
    • Health
    • Diseases-Injuries
  • Lifestyle
    • Home
    • Money
    • Feeding & Nutrition
    • Diet & Weightloss
  • Normal Delivery
    • Cesarean Delivery
    • Behaviour
    • Secondary School
    • Formula Feeding
  • Ages & Stages
    • Latching & Concerns
    • Festivals & Holidays
    • Education
    • Pre-teen & Teen
  • More
    • TAP Community
    • Advertise With Us
    • Contact Us
    • Become a Contributor


  • Singapore flag Singapore
  • Thailand flag Thailand
  • Indonesia flag Indonesia
  • Philippines flag Philippines
  • Malaysia flag Malaysia
  • Sri-Lanka flag Sri Lanka
  • India flag India
  • Vietnam flag Vietnam
  • Australia flag Australia
  • Japan flag Japan
  • Nigeria flag Nigeria
  • Kenya flag Kenya
© Copyright theAsianparent 2023. All rights reserved
About Us|Team|Privacy Policy|Terms of Use |Sitemap HTML
  • Tools
  • Articles
  • Feed
  • Poll

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. Learn MoreOk, Got it

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. Learn MoreOk, Got it