The Issue of Pornography:

From the early days of reading text and viewing photos with pornographic content to the more recent introduction of video pornography, our use of the Internet and various other means of wireless networking have changed our accessibility and anonymity to pornography.  Previously viewed as a taboo subject, pornography has driven the technology world to create new means of attaining pornographic content. 

In the 1970’s the television show The Brady Bunch set a new standard by showing Mike and Carol Brady in bed at the same time.  As anyone who has seen The Brady Bunch, the scenes showing Mike and Carol Brady in bed at the same time were innocent compared to today’s standards.  In the 1990’s the television show Roseanne pushed the envelope even further by showing two women kissing on television.  Both of these television programs were on network stations and viewed by the general public.  In addition, Abercrombie and Fitch billboards are in highly visible areas viewed by families and children. As we can see, the mainstream media has lowered the level of graphic material which it feels is acceptable to be viewed by families and children.  Due to this general shift in the amount of graphic material children are exposed to, it is increasingly difficult to prevent children from viewing borderline “soft core” pornography. 

 Advertising has become an ever increasing source of using sex to sell.  An example is Abercrombie and Fitch’s yearly published catalog.  Looking through the catalog one would notice pictures of underdressed models in various sexual poses. The catalog is only to be sold to consumers 18 years of age and older, but often finds its way to the hands of the younger teen population. An Abercrombie & Fitch spokesman responds, "You have to be true to your customers -- and their response is overwhelmingly positive. There's nothing in it you don't see on any public beach in Miami. It's the Norman Rockwell of 2001 -- wholesome images of kids having the time of their lives." (www.Dazereader.com) By Abercrombie’s sentiment, general standards or paradigms have shifted in acceptable levels of graphic material viewed by the general public. 

The issue of pornography in education changes as quickly as the technology allows users to access the Internet through alternate media.  Previously the concern that challenged educators was keeping pornography out of the hands of students through the use of the Internet.  Through increased technology, we have found ourselves not only being able to teach and communicate to students through the same means, but we are also finding that students now have an easier opportunity to access pornography through advancement of the video phone, and Apple's iPod, and Sony's Playstation Personal (PSP).  Students can now download pictures and videos that can be kept away from the teacher or parent eye as well as free from the filters that can be used on the system.  As the technology increases, the need for filtering software also increases. 

"If you are going to have a phone that connects to the Internet, you have to have some kind of control or blocking system to prevent kids from really being exposed to this harmful pornographic content." --Dan Weiss from Focus on the Family Action. (http://www.family.org/cforum/fnif/news/a0040740.cfm)

Parents and teachers should not rely solely on filters to manage childrens' access to the Internet and the national media.  They should take an active role in monitoring young adults' activity whether it is Internet, radio, television, or literature.  Parents should let their children know that you will be checking their iPod, cell phone, or PSP frequently for any content that they may find inappropriate.  Also, parents should continually check for upgrades in filters for iPod users.  One example is Cybersitter (http://www.cybersitter.com).



Articles Relating to Cell Phone and iPod Pornography Issues:

Watch Out - Porn Coming to an iPod Near You, Modern Practice
http://practice.findlaw.com/tooltalk-111505.html

Firms Target Cell Phone Technology, Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB114851798968962542-g5wxgBHoVvoRFmM_HokiLPQNbrI_20060623.html?mod=tff_main_tff_top

Mini-Porn Becoming a Big Business, Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/14/AR2005111401456.html?referrer=email&referrer=email

Christmas, Porn, and Children, The Washington Times
http://washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20051123-114915-1414r.htm



Sites for Parents and Educators:

National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families
http://www.nationalcoalition.org/

I-Safe
http://www.Isafe.org


**The 2005 addendum is an excellent source for both parents and educators with information and tips to look for when your child uses the Internet.**