Youth, Pornography, and the Internet

Committee to Study Tools and Strategies for Protecting Kids from Pornography and Their Applicability to Other Inappropriate Internet Content, National Research Council

National Academies Press, May 2, 2002 - Social Science - 451 pages

The Internet has changed the way we access the world. This is especially true for kids, who soak up new technologies like eager little sponges. They have access to an enormous array of material, including educational links, sports info, chat rooms—and, unfortunately, pornography. But we must approach our need to protect children with care to avoid placing unnecessary restrictions on the many positive features of the Internet.

Youth, Pornography, and the Internet examines approaches to protecting children and teens from Internet pornography, threats from sexual predators operating on-line, and other inappropriate material on the Internet. The National Research Council’s Computer Science and Telecommunications Board explores a number of fundamental questions: Who defines what is inappropriate material? Do we control Internet access by a 17-year-old in the same manner as for a 7-year-old? What is the role of technology and policy in solving such a problem in the context of family, community, and society?

The book discusses social and educational strategies, technological tools, and policy options for how to teach children to make safe and appropriate decisions about what they see and experience on the Internet. It includes lessons learned from case studies of community efforts to intervene in kids’ exposure to Internet porn.

Providing a foundation for informed debate, this very timely and relevant book will be a must-read for a variety of audiences.

Contents

• Introduction: 17
• WHAT IS PORNOGRAPHY?: 20
• 13 OTHER TYPES OF INAPPROPRIATE MATERIAL AND EXPERIENCES: 22
• 14 A BROAD SPECTRUM OF OPINION AND VIEWS: 25
• 15 FOCUS AND STRUCTURE OF THIS REPORT: 28
• Technology: 31
• 212 The Nature of the Internet Medium and a Comparison to Other Media Types: 32
• 213 Internet Access Devices: 35
• 214 Connecting to the Internet: 36
• The Role of Addressing: 38
• 216 Functionality of the Internet: 39
• 217 Cost and Economics of the Internet: 47
• 219 The Relative Newness of the Internet: 48
• 22 TECHNOLOGIES OF INFORMATION RETRIEVAL: 49
• 23 TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO ACCESS CONTROL AND POLICY ENFORCEMENT: 51
• 232 Technologies for Authentication and Age Verification: 59
• 233 Encryption and EndtoEnd Opacity: 65
• 234 Anonymizers: 66
• 24 WHAT THE FUTURE MAY BRING: 68
• The Adult Online Entertainment Industry: 71
• 31 THE STRUCTURE AND SCALE OF THE ONLINE ADULT ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY: 72
• 32 THE GENERATION OF REVENUE: 74
• 33 PRACTICES RELATED TO MINORS: 78
• 34 WHAT THE FUTURE MAY HOLD: 79
• 343 Future Products and Services: 81
• 35 INDUSTRY STRUCTURE PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION AND AGGRESSIVE PROMOTION: 82
• 4 Legal and Regulatory Issues: 84
• 412 The First Amendment Pornography and Obscenity: 86
• 413 The First Amendment and Protecting Children from Exposure to Sexually Explicit Material: 89
• 414 The First Amendment Rights of Minors: 92
• 415 The First Amendment and Child Pornography: 93
• 416 The First Amendment in Public Libraries: 94
• 417 The First Amendment in Public Schools: 95
• 418 The First Amendment and the Commercial Advertising of Sexually Explicit Material: 96
• 422 Child Pornography Statutes: 97
• 423 The Communications Decency Act: 99
• 424 The Child Online Protection Act: 101
• 425 The Childrens Internet Protection Act: 103
• 426 The Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act: 104
• 427 State Statutes: 107
• 429 International Dimensions: 112
• Children Media and Exposure to Sexually Explicit Material: 115
• 52 SEXUALITY IN CULTURE: 120
• 53 THE ROLE OF MEDIA IN PROVIDING INFORMATION ON SEXUALITY TO YOUTH: 123
• 54 DIMENSIONS OF EXPOSURE AND ACCESS TO THE INTERNET: 127
• 542 Sources and Channels of Exposure: 128
• 543 Extent of Exposure: 132
• 55 INTERNET EXPOSURE TO SEXUALLY EXPLICIT MATERIAL SOLICITATIONS AND HARASSMENT: 136
• 551 Deliberate Search for Sexually Explicit Material: 138
• 553 Sexual Solicitations and Approaches: 141
• 554 Harassment: 142
• The Research Base on the Impact of Exposure to Sexually Explicit Material What Theory and Empirical Studies Offer: 143
• 62 EMPIRICAL WORK: 149
• 622 Sexually Violent Material: 152
• 623 Exposure to Nonviolent Sexual Material: 153
• 624 Caveats and Cautions: 155
• 63 FACTORS AFFECTING THE IMPACT ON MINORS OF EXPOSURE TO SEXUALLY EXPLICIT MATERIAL: 157
• 633 Gender: 158
• 634 Special Needs: 159
• 636 The Type of Sexually Explicit Material: 160
• Beyond the Science Perspectives on Impact and the Public Debate: 161
• 72 SPECULATIONS AND OTHER PERSPECTIVES ON POSSIBLE IMPACT: 166
• 73 RHETORICAL CONCERNS AND ISSUES OF PUBLIC DEBATE: 172
• 74 JUDGMENTS IN THE ABSENCE OF A RELIABLE RESEARCH BASE: 175
• 75 CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS: 178
• PART II: 181
• Approaches to Protection from Inappropriate Material: 183
• 812 In Practice: 186
• 82 DIMENSIONS OF PROTECTION: 188
• 83 THE TIME LINE OF PROTECTIVE ACTIONS: 190
• 84 DIFFERING INSTITUTIONAL MISSIONS OF SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES: 191
• 85 THE POLITICS OF PROTECTION AND INAPPROPRIATE MATERIALWHO AND WHEN?: 192
• 86 TECHNIQUES OF PROTECTION: 194
• 87 APPROACHES TO PROTECTION: 196
• Legal and Regulatory Tools: 201
• 92 CIVIL LIABILITY FOR PRESENTING OBSCENE MATERIAL ON THE INTERNET: 205
• 931 Age Verification: 206
• 932 Plain Brown Wrappers and Age Verification: 208
• 933 Labeling of Material That Is Obscene for Minors: 209
• 935 Prohibiting the Practice of Mousetrapping to Web Sites Containing Material That Is Obscene for Minors: 212
• 94 ENFORCEMENT OF RECORDKEEPING REQUIREMENTS: 213
• 95 STREAMLINING THE PROCESS OF HANDLING VIOLATIONS: 214
• 96 SELFREGULATORY APPROACHES: 215
• 97 GENERAL OBSERVATIONS: 216
• Social and Educational Strategies to Develop Personal and Community Responsibility: 218
• 102 DEFINITION OF A SOCIAL OR EDUCATIONAL STRATEGY: 221
• 103 CONTEXTUAL ISSUES FOR SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL STRATEGIES: 222
• 104 PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT AND SUPERVISION: 225
• 105 PEER ASSISTANCE: 233
• 106 ACCEPTABLE USE POLICIES: 235
• 107 AFTERTHEFACT STRATEGIES: 240
• 108 EDUCATION: 242
• 1082 Information and Media Literacy: 245
• 1083 Collateral Issues: 249
• 109 COMPELLING AND SAFE CONTENT: 250
• 1010 PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS AND MEDIA CAMPAIGNS: 254
• 1011 FINDINGS AND OBSERVATIONS ABOUT SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL STRATEGIES: 256
• A Perspective on TechnologyBased Tools: 258
• 112 CONTEXTUAL ISSUES FOR TECHNOLOGYBASED TOOLS: 261
• 113 THE QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED OF EACH TOOL: 265
• 12 TechnologyBased Tools for Users: 267
• 1212 How Well Does Filtering Work?: 275
• 1213 Who Decides What Is Inappropriate?: 286
• 1214 How Flexible and Usable Is the Product?: 289
• 1215 What Are the Costs of and the Infrastructure Required for Filtering?: 292
• 1216 What Does the Future Hold for Filtering?: 298
• 1217 What Are the Implications of Filtering Use?: 301
• 1218 Findings on Filters: 303
• 122 MONITORING: 304
• 1221 What Is Monitoring?: 305
• 1222 How Well Does Monitoring Work?: 307
• 1223 Who Decides What Is Inappropriate?: 309
• 1224 How Flexible and Usable Are Products for Monitoring?: 310
• 1225 What Are the Costs and Infrastructure Required for Monitoring?: 311
• 1226 What Does the Future Hold for Monitoring?: 314
• 1227 What Are the Implications of Using Monitoring?: 315
• 1228 Findings on Monitoring: 316
• 123 TOOLS FOR CONTROLLING OR LIMITING SPAM: 317
• 1231 What Are Technologies for Controlling Spam?: 318
• 1232 How Well Do SpamControlling Technologies Work?: 319
• 1233 Who Decides What Is Spam?: 320
• 1236 What Does the Future Hold for SpamControlling Systems?: 321
• 124 INSTANT HELP: 322
• 1242 How Well Might Instant Help Work?: 324
• 1245 What Are the Costs and Infrastructure Required for Instant Help?: 325
• 1247 What Are the Implications of Using Instant Help?: 326
• TechnologyBased Tools Available to NonEnd Users: 327
• 1312 How Well Would a xxx TopLevel Domain Work?: 330
• 1313 Who Decides What Material Should Be Confined to xxx Web Sites?: 332
• 1316 What Does the Future Hold for a xxx TopLevel Domain?: 333
• 1317 What Are the Implications of Using a xxx TopLevel Domain?: 334
• 132 A KIDS TOPLEVEL DOMAIN: 335
• 1323 Who Decides What Material Should Be Allowed in kids Web Sites?: 337
• 1325 What Are the Costs and Infrastructure Required for a kids TopLevel Domain?: 338
• 1328 Findings on a kids TopLevel Domain: 339
• 1331 What Are Age Verification Technologies?: 340
• 1332 How Well Do Age Verification Technologies Work?: 341
• 1333 Who Decides What Is Inappropriate?: 343
• 1334 How Flexible and Usable Are Products for Verifying Age?: 344
• 1336 What Does the Future Hold For Age Verification Systems?: 345
• 1337 What Are the Implications of Using Age Verification Systems?: 347
• 1338 Findings on Age Verification Technologies: 348
• 134 TOOLS FOR PROTECTING INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY: 349
• 1343 Who Decides What Is Inappropriate?: 351
• 1344 How Flexible and Usable Are Products for Protecting Intellectual Property?: 352
• 1347 What Are the Implications of Tools for Protecting Intellectual Property?: 353
• PART III: 355
• Findings Conclusions and Future Needs: 357
• 1412 Developmental Dimensions: 358
• 1413 Legal Dimensions: 359
• 1414 Technical Dimensions: 360
• 1415 Economic Dimensions: 361
• 142 ON THE IMPACT ON CHILDREN OF EXPOSURE TO SEXUALLY EXPLICIT MATERIAL AND EXPERIENCES: 362
• 143 ON APPROACHES TO PROTECTION: 364
• 144 TRADEOFFS AND COMPLEXITY: 368
• 1441 Social and Educational Tradeoffs: 370
• 1442 Technology Tradeoffs: 371
• 1443 Public Policy Tradeoffs: 373
• 145 TAKEAWAY MESSAGES FOR DIFFERENT PARTIES: 374
• 1452 Teachers and Librarians: 378
• 1453 Industry: 380
• 1454 Makers of Public Policy: 383
• 146 RESEARCH NEEDS: 386
• 147 CONCLUSION: 387
• InformationGathering Sessions of the Committee: 391
• Glossary and Acronyms: 407
• Selected Technology Issues: 418
• Site Visit Synthesis: 430
• Biographies: 434
• Index: 445

About the author

Former United States Attorney General

Bibliographic information

• Title: Youth, Pornography, and the Internet
• Authors: Committee to Study Tools and Strategies for Protecting Kids from Pornography and Their Applicability to Other Inappropriate Internet Content, National Research Council
• Editors: Dick Thornburgh, Herbert S. Lin
• Publisher: National Academies Press, 2002
• ISBN: 0309082749, 9780309082747
• Length: 451 pages
• Subjects: Social Science / Sociology / Marriage & Family