Sydney, May 25: Parents are being urged not to allow their kids to use website Wikipedia without supervision after an entry on a famous children’s book was edited to contain pornographic material.
Last week, sexual and violent acts between characters were added to the online plot summary for Mrs Frisby And The Rats Of NIMH, which is recommended for students in years 5 to 9.
The edited page for the book, on the list for the Premier’s Reading Challenge, was visible for about an hour before it was changed to the original text.
A mother from Sydney said that she was shocked to find the article, after researching the book for her son.
Michelle FitzGerald, NSW Parents Council executive officer of communications, said it’s a matter of concern for all parents.
“It is a concern to the council that the Internet, if used inappropriately or not supervised, can lead children into areas where they really should not be. It really comes back to parental supervision on the internet,” quoted her as saying.
Brianna Laugher, Australian representative for Wikipedia, said vandalism was a continuing problem for the site.
“Wikipedia, in general, is not designed for a primary school audience. I don’t advise any children to use it before they have had the pitfalls explained to them,” she said.
-Agencies