Porn, Pop-ups, and the Kids

Accidental porn is actually a very common occurrence, even among savvy web users -- I ran into some myself just the other day. Those pop-up windows that when you close just lead to other pop-ups of bubble-chested babes in various states of exposure seem endless when you are trying to get out of them.

According to the Center for Missing & Exploited Children, 34 percent of youths age 10 to 17 who use the internet have unintentionally encountered pictures of naked people or people having sex. They wrote a report, "Online Victimization of Youth: Five Years Later." It's a relief to know that In most cases the encounter is not distressing to the kids; they click away and move on.

However, it is still important to note, as detailed in this report, the risks to children, particularly teenagers, in cyberspace include exposure to:

• Unwanted sexual solicitations (1 in 7 youths)
• Unwanted exposure to sexual material (1 in 3 youths)
• Harassment —threatening or other offensive behavior directed at them (1 in 11 youths)

Their plan to deal with the issue is to:

1. Prevent child victimization in cyberspace through aggressive education programs directed toward families. NetSmartz, an Internet safety education program has reached into thousands of homes and classrooms. This program includes a message to parents and guardians focusing on strong involvement in their children’s lives and increasing knowledge and awareness about computers and the Internet in this generation, which did not grow up with the Internet.

2. Advocate for assistance through developing technology tools and access controls. Parents and guardians should make informed decisions about using these blocking, monitoring, and filtering software tools in their homes.

3. Support aggressive law-enforcement efforts directed against those who use the Internet for criminal purposes. In addition to being reprehensible, child pornography and the enticing, luring, or seducing of children online is unlawful and strict enforcement of our laws is necessary to deter these crimes.