>> Concerns raised over Vietnamese teen sex chat
>> \'Teenspeak\' dominates digital communication
The development of mobile internet services have made it easier for young people to use their mobile phones to access pornography and sex chats.
 |
| Mobile phone sex chats and shows are becoming more popular among young people |
Easy internet-access
N.V.Q, a 7th grade student, asked his parents for VND500,000 (USD24) to buy a Blackberry-branded mobile phone. He was delighted to tell his friends that “for just VND500,000, I can see ‘hot’ films, so there’s no need to own an iPhone or other luxury mobile.”
Second hand mobile phones imported into Vietnam can be bought for as little as VND500,000 to VND1.5 million (USD72) allowing easy internet access.
Many service providers have launched multi-function chat software, including the Ola, the most popular service for teenagers, boasting various functions such as yahoo, dictionary applications, news, games and chat.
Ola has 51 chat rooms serving thousands of visitors simultaneously. Many of the users have adopted obscene nicknames, and for just a few hundred thousand dong teenagers can access internet services, including sex chat anywhere, at anytime.
 |
| A number of girls earn money by providing mobile phone strip shows |
“Sitting in an internet café isn’t safe because your parents or acquaintances can find out what you’re doing. While mobiles don’t provide very good quality images, they’re comfortable and convenient,” Phu, a 9th grade student said.
Besides Ola’s services, many social networks provide very good photo-sharing utilities which are being used by teenagers to display their body, with most of the young people who taking part in the sex chats are aged between 15 and 21.
Show and earn
Camera enabled mobile phones have become tools for girls to sell explicit images of themselves, provide strips or sex chat for as little as VND10-30,000 (USD0.48-1.44).
A girl can chat with dozens of visitors and then ask for money to see her body. A girl can earn several hundreds of thousands of VND for her phone in just a few minutes, a student said.
