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What is Pornography?
Pornography is defined as "printed or visual material containing the explicit description or display of sexual organs or activity, intended to stimulate erotic rather than aesthetic of emotional feelings."
Decades ago, pornography was sold in the form of magazines and video tapes in a location one had to physically drive or walk to in order to purchase the desired material. The Internet has revolutionized the pornography industry, making obscene pictures, videos, texts, and sound recordings only a mouse click away.
Concerns for Parents
- Viewing pornography will lead to pornography addiction, which brings on a landslide of dangerous and tragic effects for the addict and his or her loved ones. These effects include (but are certainly not limited to) increased tendency to participate in dangerous or illegal sexual activity, increased attitudes of violence and objectivity towards women, and increased risk of divorce among married couples.
- Much of the pornography available today involves children. Accessing, possessing, manufacturing or distributing child pornography is punishable by federal law 918 U.S.C. ยง1466A).
- Accessing pornography puts your computer at risk for contracting all manner of malware.
How Can I Keep My Child Safe?
- Keep communication lines open. Talk with your kids about what they do online. Be sure they know what is and is not acceptable in your family. However, be sure to let them know that you will not be punishing or judgmental if they come to you with concerns about something they see or do on the Internet. Willingness to talk about the dangers of pornography will go a long way in preventing your children from having problems with porn.
- Keep your computer in an open, trafficked area. Don't allow your kids to have computers (including laptops) in their rooms or in other secluded areas. If your kids know that the computer screen is in plain sight, they will be less likely to wander into sketchy areas of the net. Privacy only increases temptation.
- Set up appropriate content filters and parental controls. You can outfit your computer with filtering software that will block sexually explicit or otherwise inappropriate Internet material from your child's computer. This will prevent anyone who uses your computer from accidentally or intentionally viewing inappropriate material. Protecting your family from the dangers of pornography doesn't have to be tricky or expensive; many great filters, such as K9 Web Protection, are free.
- Check your browser history You can open your browser's history and examine which websites have been visited using that browser. Each browser has its own separate history. Some children and teens are clever enough to cover their tracks if they know you wouldn't approve of some of the sites they visit. They know how to erase the browser's history of sites they've visited, or use a different browser that you either don't use or don't know is installed on your computer. Manipulating the history and using other browsers doesn't necessarily mean that your child is up to no good, but it's worth looking into.
- Consider installing a key logger or other monitoring software If you have reason to suspect that your child is involved with a sexual predator, you can monitor what your child is typing by installing a key logger. A Key logger records each keystroke on your computer and saves it all to a file which you can view later. A key logger can be a program you download or a keyboard adapter plug you physically install. Shop around by searching on the internet for "key logger" or "monitoring software". There is free monitoring software available, and other packages like Specter Prothat can actually record everything that happens on the screen, too (the price range is significantly higher for that one). Remember, this is no substitute for talking with your child about Internet safety or for decreasing risks by other means. Use good judgment and discretion in deciding whether to use monitoring software.
- Remember there are other ways onto the Internet No matter how well you protect your family computer from harmful influences, kids can get on the Internet anywhere, almost anytime. School and library computers tend to have protection in place, but a friend's family computer might not. Kids can access the Web using iPods, cell phones, and video game consoles like the XBox 360, the Playstation, and the Wii. Be aware of these alternative access points in your home and elsewhere to the extent possible.
While filters and other tools do a lot, remember that they aren't a cure-all. Objectionable content can slip through even the best filters, and children can sometimes dodge their way around the toughest parental controls by figuring out passwords. Check your child's web history often and be aware of what sites he or she frequents. The best prevention is to be on good communicating terms with your kids, because you can't be everywhere, but your relationship with them can.
Monitor All Types of Media That Enter Your Home
Interest in pornography doesn't always start on the Internet. Evaluate the kind of movies and TV your family watches. Is there sexual content that might spur a curious child to explore the darker corners of the net? What about the magazines and newspapers in your home? Do any of them contain stories, images, or advertisements that could be considered pornographic? Set a good example for your kids by being sure that sexuality is presented to them in a healthy way.
Support Pro-Decency and Anti-Pornography Organizations
You are not alone in opposing the filth that is flooding the Internet--a rapidly-increasing number of organizations and groups are speaking out against pornography in all forms by contacting government officials, picketing adult media distributors, and educating the public about the dangers of pornography. We encourage you to seek them out and see what you can do to help.
Where Can I Learn More?
Read this compelling article that describes the how and why of pornography's destructive effects on individuals, families, and communities.
The FBI has contributed a lot towards Internet safety. See Innocent Images National Initiative to read more about keeping children safe online.
