The American Family Association (AFA) has sent out an “Action Alert” to its membership titled “Pornographers Set to Go After Children With Cell Phones,” prompting an industry response.
Here are some excerpts from AFA chairman Donald E. Wildmon’s memo:
“Soon pornography will be available to our children over their cell phones. Playboy hopes to make their porn available to the 170 million cell phone subscribers throughout North America. No doubt scores of other pornographers will follow Playboy's lead.
An independent study by IDC revealed that 33.2% of cell phone users in America, more than 55 million, are between the ages of 5 and 19.”
It continues, “We can expect our children to have pop-up ads on their cell phones pushing Playboy's pornography. Playboy says their new venture will allow more people to experience ‘the sexiness of the classic Playboy lifestyle.’ Unfortunately many of these people will be our children. … Pornographers are going after our children at a younger and younger age.”
Mark Kernes, AVN Senior Editor and an industry legal expert, responded to this passage, saying “This is horseshit. If anything, adult industry members (and most particularly Free Speech Coalition members) are going out of their way NOT to send their stuff to kids – and besides, whatever Playboy does will be subscription only, and if kids are subscribing to Playboy, no matter in what format, it suggests that their parents are being derelict in their duties.”
Joan Irvine, executive director of the Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP) and a FSC board member, said the ASACP is planning to submit a written response to the AFA.
“I just don’t think they are informed about the effort of the adult entertainment industry to protect children,” she said. “ The ASACP itself is starting to have conversations with some of the cell phone providers to see what we can do to help them. I know other people within the industry are working on ways to do age verification on cell phones, just like they do on Websites. The industry in the background is very active on this and that just needs to be communicated to the appropriate people. I believe once they know what we’re doing, then they’ll realize that we should be partnering up to protect children.”
The “Action Alert” concludes with, “Contact the Federal Communications Commission and ask them to set heavy fines for pornographers who send their porn to our children.”
“That's already illegal, WITH the ‘heavy fines.’ Just read the PROTECT Act!” Kernes added.
