A study published in the February 2007 issue of Pediatrics found that 42% of Internet users ages 10-17 had been exposed to online pornography. Janis Wolak, JD and her colleagues at the Crimes against Children Research Center at University of New Hampshire, administered a telephone survey to 1500 youth between March and June 2005 and found that 630 (42%) of the adolescents had come across either wanted or unwanted online pornography. Of the 630 children who had viewed online pornography, 413 (66%) had done so unintentionally.
The adolescents who had unintentionally come across the online porn had done so through file-sharing programs that download images onto the computer. The unwanted exposure rate was higher for teens, those who had been harassed or sexually solicited online or interpersonally victimized offline, and those who showed signs of depression (borderline range on the Child Behavior Checklist).
The picture is different for those adolescents who had wanted exposure to online pornography. These children tended to be boys, teens, download images using file-sharing programs, talk online to strangers about sex, use the Internet at friends' houses and rule break (borderline range on the Child Behavior Checklist).
Not surprisingly, children who used filtering and blocking software were less likely to experience unwanted exposure online pornography. Also, children who had attended an Internet safety presentation by a law enforcement agent were less likely to view unwanted images.
Though the study included only 1500 "nationally representative" youth, the results indicate that more adolescents than we may realize are exposed to both wanted and unwanted online pornography. Certain risk factors may increase a child's chance of coming across such online content, but it is clear that we need to keep an eye on our children and on their access to the Internet.
Vikki Sloviter received her BA in History of Science and Medicine from Yale University. She lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania with her husband and three young children. She also proofreads, copy edits, researches and writes for Pediatrics for Parents and NeedyMeds.com.
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