Visits to porn sites on the Net up by 43pc

The number of Hong Kong Internet users surfing pornographic sites each month has risen by almost half over the past year, according to a survey released yesterday.

Web audience measurement firm NetValue said the number of visitors to adult sites rose by 43 per cent for March, suggesting a jump to 715,700 from 501,000 a year ago. The numbers mean about one-quarter of those with Internet access in Hong Kong visited an adult site at least once that month.

The survey prompted NetValue Asia president Jack Loo to express concern over what he described as a sign of 'widespread misuse of the Internet'.

'The Internet is supposed to be an efficient tool for the dissemination and seeking of information. However, if more people are spending time searching for adult materials, the public should probably take not ... especially since there are young teenagers among the visitors,' Mr Loo said.

NetValue offered no explanation for an increased interest in online porn.

The survey showed about one in three people visiting adult sites in Hong Kong were students, who also made up by far the largest demographic group using the Internet.

Hong Kong residents were not only ones with a growing appetite for the X-rated. All four markets surveyed - South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore - posted double-digit growth in the smut factor.

South Korea, where there is a high rate of broadband usage, led the way. The number of people there visiting porn sites in March grew by 72 per cent to 10.7 million from 6.2 million a year ago, NetValue said. Hong Kong ranked second.