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Published on November 20, 2007

Of all 1,114 respondents based in Bangkok surveyed on October 15-17, 27 per cent of males had sex with strangers they got to know through online chats, compared to 8 per cent of females, according to an Abac poll result released in the seminar.

Sixty-five per cent placed their real pictures and phone numbers on community websites and 34 per cent were contacted by strangers who found their profiles. Twenty per cent of the males had "sought friends" using online services compared to 12 per cent of females.

Fifty-three per cent of respondents have viewed pornographic through online media. Of them, 63 per cent downloaded the material, while another 16 per cent played obscene games offered on adult websites.

Of all types of games available, respondents said they regularly or occasionally played some violent games including shooting police, striptease and rape, said the Abac poll.

A research by the National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre found that more than one million Thais under 15 years of age had their own online profiles on which their real pictures were posted.

Nectec official Chadamas Thurasetthakul said children would be better protected when a 2003 law preventing distribution of personal information of young children came into effect in the near future.

She said the five online services most visited by juveniles were YouTube, Hi 5, MSN, MySpace and Facebook.

The Nation