A study conducted by the University of New Hampshire indicates that approximately 1,000 out of 1,500 U.S. youngsters between ages 10-17 unintentionally were exposed to online pornography, according to Reuters. The study was published in the February 2007 American Academy of Pediatrics Journal.
"This shows clearly how important it is for parents to use filtering tools and for adult sites to use tags like the RTA website label," said Rick Louis, manager of communications and government affairs for Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection. "[It] also shows how much unwanted exposure happens P2P, rather than by kids’ surfing adult sites."
The 1,500 minors were part of a telephone survey conducted between March and June in 2005. Forty-two percent had been exposed to online pornography 12 months preceding the questioning. Of that group, 66 percent said they were not looking for pornographic material, but found it via spam emails, pop-up advertisements, and Web addresses. The remaining 34 percent of respondents indicated they actively sought out pornography.
Efforts by the adult industry to keep children away from sexually explicit material clearly are showing the benefits of a proactive approach, according to the ASACP. "We’re glad to see so many adult sites taking responsibility by using RTA, and we hope parents will do the same by taking advantage of the free resources available to help them—including the ParentalControl Bar and TakeParentalControl.org, both adult industry initiatives [that are like] ASACP," said Louis.
The university researchers explained in their findings that sexual curiosity is normal. Many experts "might say that visiting X-rated websites is developmentally appropriate behavior," the researchers claimed. And, adult medical professionals, parent, and educators "should assume that most boys of high school age who use the Internet have some degree of exposure to online pornography, as do many girls."
At the opposite end of the spectrum, the younger the child, perhaps the greater chance of psychological distress if the exposure to online pornography is involuntary. The study noted that "[although] there is evidence that most youth are not particularly upset when they encounter unwanted pornography on the Internet, [it] could have a greater impact on some youth than voluntary encounters with pornography."
