But on the other hand... I didn't know girls liked to film others' private activities in the toilet. Shame on the people filming the video, do schools still teach moral education?
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Oct 8, 2010
JC students in trouble over toilet-sex video
Students film girls secretly and circulate it among friends
By Jeremy Au Yong
A STEAMY sex video of two first-year female students caused an uproar in Anglo-Chinese Junior College (ACJC) recently, leading to the duo leaving the school.
The students were said to have had a tryst in a school toilet, where they were filmed surreptitiously by other students.
The video was then circulated to several others in the college.
At least nine current and former ACJC students The Straits Times spoke to said they knew of the incident, with one having seen the video on his friend's mobile phone.
'What I saw disgusted me,' said the second-year student, who said he could not bring himself to continue watching the rest of the clip.
The episode, coming hot on the heels of a tragic cyber-bullying case in New York, has raised alarm bells among some child experts about how cavalier young people can be about what they post online.
In the ACJC episode, it is not clear whether or at what point the girls knew they were being filmed. The illicit meeting in a cubicle of the toilet near the canteen is said to have taken place last month.
The Straits Times understands that disciplinary action has been taken on all those involved, including stripping some of their positions in co-curricular activity groups.
In an e-mail response to queries, ACJC principal Kelvyna Chan declined to comment directly on the facts of the episode.
She would say only: 'We would like to assure you that no one has been expelled from the school. From time to time, students are involved in actions which the school does not condone.
'With all matters pertaining to discipline, we include engagement with the parents and counselling for the students. The objective is always to learn from our mistakes, do better and be wiser.'
When asked later if ACJC helped the students secure places in another school, Mrs Chan declined further comment.
A message sent by The Straits Times via Facebook to one of the girls involved was ignored. Her online profile was subsequently deleted.
The incident has been discussed over Formspring, a social media site that allows netizens to pose questions to a user.
The same girl had a Formspring site that was put up three weeks ago and she received queries and messages of support and concern.
Some told her to stay strong. Others wanted to know what she would do now.
'Where are you going next?' one asked.
She responded: 'Where the wind takes us.'
Her site has since been taken down too.
One of the girls is said to have been admitted into another junior college and will resume her studies next year.
The incident is said to be the first such case involving the school.
In 2008, however, ragging practices caused a stir after a video of an ACJC student tied up and having food stuffed in her face made it online.
For Ms Wendy Chua, a former school psychologist who now runs a life coaching company, the latest ACJC incident shows how cavalier the young are about the Internet.
'These days you often see kids freely expressing themselves on sites like Facebook with no regard to their own privacy. There is no self-censorship,' said the mother of four children aged seven to 15.
'If you don't censor what you put online about yourself, you won't censor what you post about others.'
Child experts The Straits Times spoke to compared the episode with the recent case of Rutgers University undergraduate Tyler Clementi in the United States.
Two weeks ago, the 18-year-old jumped to his death after his roommate allegedly streamed online live images of him having sex with another man.
Those interviewed said the difference between the two cases, was that the American teen had sex in his own room, whereas the ACJC girls were in a public toilet.
Psychologist Daniel Koh, of Insights Mind Centre, felt several aspects made the ACJC case especially disturbing.
First was the fact that the incident happened in a public place and involved two girls, 'something society may not accept yet'.
Then there were the actions of those who filmed what the girls did and then circulated it. Both were troubling acts, he said.
Agreeing, Dr Carol Balhetchet, director of Youth Services at the Singapore Children's Society, said that filming and circulating the incident was 'a vicious act'.
'I would almost call it aggressive intimidation,' she said.
The child experts felt that parents and counsellors need to better educate the young on the consequences of their actions.
Mr Koh said young people need to understand the power of the Internet.
'Because of the speed, it can reach a lot of people,' he said. 'The young need to know what the boundaries are.
'Even taking a picture of someone sleeping on the MRT can sometimes cross the line.'
jeremyau@sph.com.sg
PRINCIPAL SAYS:
ACJC principal Kelvyna Chan declined to comment on the facts of the case. She said nobody had been expelled, and added: 'From time to time, students are involved in actions which the school does not condone.'
'With all matters pertaining to discipline, we include engagement with the parents and counselling for the students. The objective is always to learn from our mistakes, do better and be wiser.'
STUDENTS SAY:
At least nine current and former ACJC students The Straits Times spoke to said they knew of the incident, with one having seen the video on his friend's mobile phone.
'What I saw disgusted me,' said the second-year student, who said he could not bring himself to continue watching the rest of the clip.
COUNSELLOR SAYS:
Psychologist Daniel Koh felt several aspects of the ACJC incident were especially disturbing.
First, the fact that the incident happened in a public place and involved two girls, 'something society may not accept yet'.
Then, the actions of those who filmed what the girls did and circulated it. Both were troubling actions, he said.
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