Pornography

Introduction / Impact on children and young people /
Tips for parents

For parents, one of the most disturbing aspects of the Internet is the easy access it gives kids to pornography. Hard-core sexual images, which were once very difficult to acquire, are now just a mouse click away.

It's important, however, to put Internet pornography into context.

Online pornography is part of a larger picture, where 'sexualized' images of young people are increasingly used to sell everything from perfume to clothing. Kids are also exposed to explicit sexual material in the video games they play, the magazines they read and the movies and TV they watch.

Online pornography grabs our attention largely because of the aggressive marketing techniques that adult sites employ. Yet, in spite of all the sexually explicit pop-up windows, e-mail spam and search results, pornographic sites actually make up a very small portion of Internet content. According to the U.S.-based Online Computer Library Center, in 2002, sexually explicit Web sites represented only 3 per cent of all public sites.

On the other hand, according to Media Awareness Network's (MNet) 2005 survey of students in Grades 7 to 11, almost one fifth (19%) of Canadian kids say they've ended up on an adult site accidentally during the school year.

The online pornography industry is highly competitive and adult marketers are continually developing new strategies to drive traffic to their sites.

Some of their tactics are:

• 'Click-throughs': Every time someone clicks through an adult site to another one, the site's advertising revenues go up. To increase the number of click-throughs, some sites use pop-up windows. Known as 'mouse napping,' this technique traps users in an endless loop of porn.
  
  
• 'Home page hi-jacking': This involves planting a Java script command on computers to change the user's default home page to a porn site. Changing the home page back to its original setting appears to solve the problem until the computer is rebooted, then the offensive site re-appears as the home page.
  
  
• 'Stealth' sites: These are porn sites that steer users their way through a variety of techniques, including buying up expired domain names, exploiting common misspellings, or using well-known names of companies or artists.
  
  
• Using hidden key words that are picked up by search engines: Porn operators bury key words, including brand names of popular toys, in the code of their Web sites to attract children.

Trying to control porn in a global medium like the Internet is difficult at best. Most Internet pornography, while offensive and distasteful to many users, is not illegal. As well, countries have different cultural standards and legislation regarding sexual material, and content that is banned in one jurisdiction may be easily accessible on servers in another.

Impact on children and young people

While there is little research on whether viewing pornography harms children, several recent studies have shown that when young children are accidentally exposed to online pornography they find it disturbing.

Teens, particularly adolescent males, have always been driven by natural curiousity to seek out pornography. This hasn't changed. What's different is the easy access the Internet gives kids to deviant or violent sexual content, which may have an influence on their developing attitudes towards sexuality and relationships.

Tips for parents

Regardless of the evidence that exists concerning the effect of pornography on kids, as parents, we know we don't want our children accidentally stumbling across it when they are young, or developing an appetite for it during their teen years.

Kids say that they need protection. There was wide agreement among students in the MNet survey that schools and parents should protect children from certain types of online content, including pornography. For example, 90 per cent of kids in Grades 7 to 9 and 80 per cent of those in Grades 10 and 11 advise protecting kids who are two years younger than they are from online porn.

You can help protect your kids by taking an active role in their Internet use:

For young children

• Talk to them about sex from a very early age. They are being exposed to sexual images in various media so you need to establish an open and honest dialogue with them so they will come to you with their questions.
  
  
• If they stumble across pornography, remain calm. In many cases these sites pop up accidentally and are difficult to leave, which can be very upsetting for kids. Don't freak out or act accusingly - you want your kids to feel comfortable turning to you for help and advice when these incidents happen.
  
  
• Sit with them and make sure they are going to sites that you've chosen. There are thousands of wonderful kids' sites, but it takes a bit of work to locate them. Ask other parents, teachers or librarians for suggestions or use a kids' Web directory, like Yahooligans!.
  
  
• Make sure you know where you're going on the Web. Links on reputable sites are generally safe. It helps to bookmark favourite sites so you can get there quickly without having to type in an address. But be aware that porn operators often purchase expired Web addresses, including those for kids' sites, when the original sites cease to exist.
  
  
• Use kid-friendly search engines such as Ask Jeeves for Kids, or adult search engines that offer filtering, such as Google. Test the different search engines to see which ones give the best results.
  
  
• Disable Java and JavaScript in your browser preferences. This will prevent your children from getting caught in a cycle of pop-up pornographic windows.
  
  
• Investigate filtering technology. There are server-based filtering options offered through your ISP as well as computer-based filtering software that you can administer yourself. These technologies can be helpful - but keep in mind that they're not foolproof and are no substitutes for parental supervision.

For older kids and teens

• Set clear rules about what kind of sites your kids are not allowed to visit. Create an online agreement or contract, with their input, and make sure you establish and enforce the consequences of visiting such sites.
  
  
• Keep your computer in a highly visible area, never in a child's room. Older teens can have an Internet connection in their bedroom but you should still talk about their activities and have clear house rules about accessing pornography.
  
  
• Talk to your kids openly about sexuality and pornography. Direct them to good-quality Web sites that provide information for young people on sexuality and health. If the only information your kids are receiving about sexuality is from porn sites, you have a problem. Explore with them the differences between normal, healthy sexual expression and the exploitive and deviant activity that is so prevalent online.
  
  
• Discuss sexual messages in all media. Help your kids understand the impact of exploitive and degrading images of women and girls.
  
  
• Check to make sure that if your kids are using file-sharing software they are only downloading music files (MP3s). Many people use file-sharing networks to post pornographic images and videos.
  
  
• If you have concerns about your kids' online activities, talk with them. You can also monitor where they are going on the Internet by looking at the history, cookie and cache files on your computer. However, keep in mind that computer-savvy kids know how to erase their Internet tracks. Open, honest communication is always preferable to invading their privacy.