Peddlers of online pornography are stalking children with images of naked people and people having sex, according to a new study that found an increased number of children and teenagers being exposed to unsolicited pornography on the Internet.
The study, which appears in the February issue of the journal Pediatrics, found that 42 percent of Internet users ages 10 to 17 said they had seen pornography online during the past year, with 66 percent of those saying they had not sought out the images.
Overall, 34 percent of minors responding to a telephone survey of 1,500 Internet users ages 10 to 17 said they had experienced unwanted exposure to online pornography.
The journal noted, "More research concerning the potential impact of Internet pornography on youth is warranted, given the high rate of exposure, the fact that much exposure is unwanted, and the fact that youth with certain vulnerabilities, such as depression, interpersonal victimization, and delinquent tendencies, have more exposure."
Teens report that such images "pop up all the time" when they’re on the Internet, especially when they use file-sharing programs to download non-pornographic images, when they’re talking online with friends, when they visit chat rooms and when they play games online, The Associated Press (AP) said Feb. 5.
"It’s so common now, who hasn’t seen something like that?" Emily Duhovny, a 17-year-old, told AP. She added that "more than anything, it’s just annoying."
Sharon Hirsch, a University of Chicago psychiatrist, told AP that exposure to online pornography could lead children to earlier sexual activity.
"They’re seeing things that they’re not really emotionally prepared to see yet, which can cause trauma to them," she said.
Researchers said filtering and blocking software is effective to an extent, but peddlers are finding new ways to navigate around such prevention methods. (BP)
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