Media identifies correct culprit in "Kids See Too Much Porn" study - amazing!

[Bill]

Will wonder never cease - finally the mainstream media correctly identifies the source of most unwanted exposure of kids to porn online - it comes from file-sharing programs.

It also comes from ads served by IM programs.

And it doesn't come from us porn slingers.

Why do parents let their kids use file-sharing? It's all stolen content. But heavens forbid the parents do any parenting and keep their kids from stealing stuff.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/internet/02/05/kids.online.porn.ap/index.html

"Online use that put kids at the highest risk for unwanted exposure to pornography was using file-sharing programs to download images. However, they also stumbled onto X-rated images through other "normal" Internet use, the researchers said, including talking online with friends, visiting chat rooms and playing games."

[Bill]

I love this line...

"using file-sharing programs to download images".

Sure, thats what they're downloading. "Images".

That's what all the kids are doing, is downloading "images". All the kids love to download "images".

[spookyx]

LOL so true bill. maybe i should start using file sharing, I need some "Images"

[johnnybg]

actually, file sharing programs or any other programs are not to blame here. It's the parents who don't have time for their kids. But that's not the topic of this thread.

[ladydesigner]

actually, file sharing programs or any other programs are not to blame here. It's the parents who don't have time for their kids. But that's not the topic of this thread.


I totally agree!! My oldest daughter is 9 and her good friend (also 9) has a laptop (with internet access) that she's allowed to roam all over the place with looking at God knows what unsupervised. I told my daughter "I don't think so!". |badidea|

[Jim]

Vista will save us all :)
Really, a parent can now track anyplace their child has visited and look at anything they have done. Now, to just get them to use the feature.

[Useless]

actually, file sharing programs or any other programs are not to blame here. It's the parents who don't have time for their kids. But that's not the topic of this thread.A parent cannot be present for every click of the mouse.

[cd34]

an .iso file is a disk 'image' of an iso 9660 filesystem. does that count?

[johnnybg]

A parent cannot be present for every click of the mouse.

If parents spent a lot of quality time with their kids they wouldn't touch a mouse in a first place. But they are too busy watching tv.

[Useless]

If parents spent a lot of quality time with their kids they wouldn't touch a mouse in a first place. But they are too busy watching tv.Johnny, are you anti-pc or anti-internet? Do you even have children?

I do.

I could replace the word 'mouse' in your statement with any child's toy and it make it sound even more asinine. My children (11, 7) have their own shared pc and they use it almost daily, completely unsupervised, and yes- it is online. (Their browser's homepage is Google!) Does this make me and my wife bad parents, since we obviously are not spending every waking moment with our kids?

[docholly]

Johnny, are you anti-pc or anti-internet? Do you even have children?

I do.

I could replace the word 'mouse' in your statement with any child's toy and it make it sound even more asinine. My children (11, 7) have their own shared pc and they use it almost daily, completely unsupervised, and yes- it is online. (Their browser's homepage is Google!) Does this make me and my wife bad parents, since we obviously are not spending every waking moment with our kids?

I totally agree..my son has been online since he was 6. once he got to be 12 or 13 he really had free reign .. the difference is WE have open conversations on what he sees when he surfs.. where he goes.. who he talks to.. and what the ramafications are.. 30 years ago.. it was boys (and girls) under the blanket with their father's payboy or oui or national geographic (ok 40 years ago) today it's pretty much out from under the blankets.. but WE as parents should have OPEN and honest conversations about all the "hard" subjects such as sex, drugs, violence, bullying, etc.. because of the industry WE are in it should be all the easier.

RugDawg's browser home page is Wikipedia.

[SirMoby]

My 3 year old doesn't have a computer but she will in a few years. If it's connected to the Internet it will be sitting in an area where Nataliya and I can see her. No way will she have Internet access behind closed doors.

The Internet is a wonderful tool for many things and I want her to experience those things. My concern isn't here seeing naked human bodies, it's chatting to some sicko 40 year old that wants to meet little girls and hangs out at My Space.

[Useless]

My kid's pc is in the room we refer to as the diningroom, though there hasn't been a dining table in that room for quite awhile. |crazy| Fortunately, neither of them have ever heard of MySpace or know that chatting and file sharing is even a possibility. (I fear that day.) And we obviously realize that adult content and gore is a mistaken keystroke away, but we are ready for that discussion and have already warned them multiple times that the internet is full of things that are not intended for them, and that they will not want to see. I remember my daughter asking, "like what?"
My response was, "Porn!".

"What's porn?"

"Pictures of naked adults."

"Ewww! Why would anyone want to see that?"

"I don't know." :D

[Tommy]

it really is a bit of a problem for parents
to just say its the parents fault is a bit ignorant

I can sympathize with the other side

you cant be on top of them 24/7 and at the same time Internet access is useful for school work, yaking with friends, etc etc

[Tommy]

the myspace thing makes me wonder

when you watch fox news sometimes they would go on and on about the dangers of myspace

I bet a lot of parents turn around and say to their kids
"you dont go on that myspace website do you, stay away from there"

and of course the kids say they never visit it but then make a beeline directly to myspace

who owns myspace.com.... Newscorp which also owns Fox News

[ponygirl]

The Internet is a wonderful tool for many things and I want her to experience those things. My concern isn't here seeing naked human bodies, it's chatting to some sicko 40 year old that wants to meet little girls and hangs out at My Space.

that's exactly how I feel.

I have 2 boys 12 & 9. Just like the fact that there are some video games and movies that are for adults only, they know that some things on the internet are for adults only. We've had lots of discussions about what they are and aren't allowed to look at, and if they find anything questionable they know to ask about it. Filters are great, but it's better in the long run to teach kids how to protect themselves because we won't always be around to do it.

[MrYum]

Filters are great, but it's better in the long run to teach kids how to protect themselves because we won't always be around to do it.

You said it all in a single sentence right there |thumb

[Bill]

Well, as I understand it, after watching several pieces on this new study the past few days on cnn and msnbc, they identified the top two sources of kids seeing unwanted porn.

The first was filesharing programs and the ads they serve.

The second was instant messenger programs and the ads they serve.

Both p2p and IM programs are heavily marketed to minors and young people, are they not?

Shouldn't the makers of these programs have a legitimate respobsibility to not market porn to minors?

I think a reasonable argument can be made that the makers and distributors of these types of programs shouldn't be marketing porn when thy know full well that a large percentage of their downloaders and users are kids.

[johnnybg]

Johnny, are you anti-pc or anti-internet? Do you even have children?

I do.

I could replace the word 'mouse' in your statement with any child's toy and it make it sound even more asinine. My children (11, 7) have their own shared pc and they use it almost daily, completely unsupervised, and yes- it is online. (Their browser's homepage is Google!) Does this make me and my wife bad parents, since we obviously are not spending every waking moment with our kids?

Yes I "even" have two kids (12, 4).

Im anti-parents who expect to find every possible kind of excuse not to do parenting. And it doesn't have anything to do with internet.

"I can't do this", "I cant't do that"?!?!

What you CAN do for your kids?

I honestly don't have a clue if you are or are not a good parent. I don't even care. It's not my problem. You are the only one who knows what's best for your kids, and you are 100% right. There is no proof that my method of parenting is better than yours. Maybe they are both excellent or maybe they stink equally.

What I know is that all those bs "research" and "studies" say "Pornographers, society, file sharing and their mothers are to blame... no need to worry... you CAN'T do anything, let the government impose censorship and help you out. We are your friends. Tomorrow, we will ban all porn on the Net and you are safe!"

Believe or not, lazy parents with their morality codes are biggest anti-pornography group out there. Their lazyness is tastiest food for various religious groups and politicians who use it to fight against porn.

I believe that my kids are my responsibility alone.

And yes, my kids are supervised all the time (mostly by my wife, and by both of us when I came home from work), except while they are sleeping... It's not hard as it seems, just takes a bit of sacrifice on parents behalf. And, no, we are not sitting with them all the time, but we do look their way.

I had the same conversation with my older kid about online porn as you did. She is curious about sexuality issues because all the kids in school talk about it. They are mostly wrong but thay do talk. Good way to protect kids of online porn (and not just porn) is to talk with them about it.

Sorry about long post which isn't even on the topic.