By A.M. Goldstein

HAIFA—Is 15% a lot or not much?  If you answered "not much," would you say the same about this statement: 15% of all Israeli youth are very frequent surfers of Internet pornographic sites.

Dr. Gustavo Mesch, a University of Haifa sociologist, found this percentage of pornography-seeking youngsters in an investigation of the surfing habits of Israeli teenagers.

The sociologist was quick to cite the large percentages of teens, however, who use the Internet for constructive and other reasons.  These include 77.3% who surf to listen to music or to download music files, 66.4% who want information on a variety of subjects, and 64% who use the Internet to make connections with other Internet users.

A quarter of the teens surveyed (26%) reported using the Internet to acquire computer skills.

Mesch cites these figures to show that public panic over the hidden dangers of the Internet are misplaced.  "The Internet," he says, "serves many youth as a tool for learning, enrichment, and communication, not for surfing pornographic sites.

"There is no need," the sociologist continues, "to view the Internet as something dangerous.

He further argues that the results of his study imply that "troubled kids are likely to be aggressive at school, hold anti- social attitudes, and expose themselves frequently to sex-rated content on the Internet."

The University of Haifa researcher has found in the past that youth who frequent pornographic sites tend to more physical and verbal violence than other teens.  This behavior includes swearing, insulting fellow students, as well as starting fights with them.  These youth, too, he commented, cause problems at home and within the family. 

As might be expected, their school grades are lower, and they tend to disparage both their teachers and school in general.  He advises those treating problem youth to deal with their patients' Internet surfing behavior, as well.

Mesch's study included a representative sample of the Israeli adolescent population, numbering 987 teens, ages 13-18.  The only important demographic differences he found was between boys and girls. Boys are more likely than girls to be very frequent consumers of pornography. As for age, the older teens (16-18) were more frequently exposed to sex-rated content than was the younger group (13-15).  In addition to learning their Internet surfing habits, Mesch studied the degree of aggressiveness of those surveyed and their relationship with their families and their schools.

 A.M. Goldstein is the English language editor for the University of Haifa's Department of External Affairs.