New porn study prompts warnings to parents about online dangers

By Allie Martin OneNewsNow.com
February 26, 2007

A study by University of New Hampshire researchers finds that online pornography's threat to children and teens may be more serious than previously thought. In light of the recent study, one Internet security advocate is warning parents that they must be proactive about protecting their children from Internet porn.

According to the study, in a survey of Internet users from ages 10 to 17, some 42 percent said they had seen online pornography in the previous year. And out of that group, 66 percent said their exposure to the pornographic material was unintentional.

Neil Peterson is the director of marketing for Integrity Online, a Mississippi-based Internet filter solution provider. He says it is up to parents to be educated and vigilant about their children's Internet use.

"As these studies find, if you have barriers set in place -- more specifically, filtering mechanisms set in place -- the likelihood of you encountering online pornography, especially by accident, is greatly reduced," Peterson says. But unfortunately, he observes, new technology has created more avenues for porn to reach children, making it tougher than ever to keep pornography out of the hands of young people.

"It's unfortunate, but just like other industries that have a lot of funds driving them, the pornography industry is no different," the Internet security advocate says, "They've really pioneered a lot of the pop-up technology and other technologies that are on the Internet because they have the funds to do so," he contends.

Last year, Integrity Online blocked more than 200 million pornography-laden web pages and e-mails. Peterson advises parents to use filtering software; however, he says they can do more to protect their kids.

"The first thing we always recommend is that you do have a discussion with your children," the Integrity Online official says. "That's the first thing that really nothing else will take the place of," he asserts.

The University of New Hampshire's recent study on pornography exposure among young people is published in the latest issue of the journal Pediatrics, a peer-reviewed publication of the American Academy of Pediatrics.