Peddlers of online pornography are stalking children with images of naked people and people having sex, according to a new study that found an increased number of children and teenagers being exposed to unsolicited pornography on the Internet.
The study, which appears in the February issue of the journal Pediatrics, found that 42 percent of Internet users ages 10 to 17 said they had seen pornography online during the past year, with 66 percent of those saying they had not sought out the images.
Overall, 34 percent of minors responding to a telephone survey of 1,500 Internet users ages 10 to 17 said they had experienced unwanted exposure to online pornography.
The journal noted, “More research concerning the potential impact of Internet pornography on youth is warranted, given the high rate of exposure, the fact that much exposure is unwanted, and the fact that youth with certain vulnerabilities, such as depression, interpersonal victimization, and delinquent tendencies, have more exposure.”
Teens report that such images “pop up all the time” when they’re on the Internet, especially when they use file-sharing programs to download non-pornographic images, when they’re talking online with friends, when they visit chat rooms and when they play games online, the Associated Press said Feb. 5.
“It’s so common now, who hasn’t seen something like that?” Emily Duhovny, a 17-year-old, told AP. She added that “more than anything, it’s just annoying.”
Sharon Hirsch, a University of Chicago psychiatrist, told AP that exposure to online pornography could lead children to earlier sexual activity.
“They’re seeing things that they’re not really emotionally prepared to see yet, which can cause trauma to them,” she said.
Researchers said filtering and blocking software is effective to an extent, but peddlers are finding new ways to navigate around such prevention methods.
Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, said parents need to step up their efforts to protect their children from unwanted sexual exposure.
“The devil is attacking Christians of all ages through sex,” Land said Feb 6. “The Bible says that parents have the responsibility to rear their children in the knowledge and wisdom of the Lord. That responsibility includes placing filters on every computer in the house and then monitoring your children’s Internet activity. You can’t depend on a filter to catch everything, so you need to keep your eyes and ears open.”
Some action steps for parents provided by the ERLC include having a reliable content filter on the family’s Internet connection and avoiding the placement of a computer with Internet access in a child’s room unless provisions to limit surfing have been established.
The ERLC also encourages parents to limit total media viewing, given that children ages 8 to 18 watch an average of three hours of television per day in addition to playing video games and surfing the Internet.
Also, parents should raise their children with an understanding that the world is full of temptation but purity is a worthwhile and achievable goal, the ERLC said. Threats posed by new technology in handheld media devices such as cell phones and iPods should get parental attention too, as such devices offer video capabilities.
Land’s comments and the ERLC suggestions were part of the inaugural issue of FFV, a free weekly e-mail update from the commission providing commentary on current events from a biblical worldview. To sign up to receive the weekly FFV update, visit www.faithandfamily.com, and then click on “Get connected.”