Latest porn prob at school: net-enabled phones

It seems like it had to happen sooner or later. Australia is agog that an 11-year-old boy was caught showing nude pics on his cellphone to his classmates, the The Daily Telegraph reports.

Castle Hill Public School has been busily assuaging parental concerns after the boy showed pornographic photos downloaded from an Internet-capable phone. School officials are quite sure that the boy did not use school computers to download the photos, as Castle Hills computers are blocked from accessing inappropriate material.

"From the parent's point of view you can never have too much information and this situation is a reminder of the vulnerability of children,'' said Ms. Sharon-Roni Canty, spokeswoman for the NSW Federation of Parents and Citizens Associations.

Canty said suspending the child was not necessarily considered a punishment. "It's about taking time out for the parties involved to address the situation,'' she said. "If that is what they want to achieve then it is reasonable and fair but at the same time the alienation of the student (is) probably to their detriment.''

Students are required to turn off their cellphones during class and have been lectured about inappropriate use of mobile phones. But some kids take their phones onto the playground anyway.