We have all heard about, and often unintentionally encountered, online pornography. While we know it is a problem, I think it is still very surprising to see how prevalent and available it really is. While these statistics are a few years old, they paint a very informative picture as to the enormity of this industry.
In 2006, as a whole, the world-wide pornography industry (movies, phone sex, bookstores, internet, etc.) generated $97.06 billion.
That is more than Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Ebay, Apple, Yahoo, Netflix, and Earthlink combined. As of 2006, there were 4.2 million websites (12% of the total number of websites) containing pornography. Additionally, 42.7% of Internet users viewed porn and there were 68 million pornographic search engine requests each day.
Sex, in general, is the most frequently searched topic on the Internet
Patrick Carnes points out that “70% of internet pornography traffic occurs between nine and five” and other research indicates that one in six employees have trouble with sexual behavior online. Within the United States, the majority of Internet users are college-educated, white, married men with an average age of 37.6 years. Most alarming is that the majority of people struggling with sexual addictions and compulsivities involving the Internet are married, heterosexual males. According to a survey conducted by the Marital and Sexuality Center and MSNBC (2002), 6.5% of male Internet users reported spending nearly six hours per week engaging in cybersex.
Due to the anonymity, affordability (often free), availability and accessibility the Internet provides, the plague of pornography addiction has hit a record high.
Once only available in adult book stores, pornography is now at the fingertips of men, women, and children all over the world. The Third Way Culture Project report (2005) states,
The Internet is transforming the experience of growing up in America. It is also
transforming the job of being a parent in America. The Internet brings the world—the
good, the bad, and the ugly—to the American family’s doorstep. It brings the ruins of
ancient Athens to that doorstep, but it also brings the red light district of Bangkok (p. 2).
There is no tool effective enough to completely protect children from adult content websites.
While filters are becoming more effective at blocking content, children are also becoming more efficient at disabling or bypassing these filters. Where brick and mortal stores can actually check a government issued ID for age verification, the best protection the websites have to offer is an honor system, where the viewer has only to agree that they are over 18 in order to enter the site. Instant messaging and chat rooms escalate this problem: now anyone can sexually interact with random, anonymous people.
The home Internet, however, is not the only culprit when it comes to putting pornography into the hands of children. The industry is now “extending its coverage” (Holland, 2010) so to speak, so that cell phones and tablets are increasing the accessibility of these images. In fact, according to the 2005 Third Way Culture Project Report, AT&T has become a major contributor to–and has received enormous revenue from–the pornography industry.
The Christians and Sex Leadership Journal Survey in March 2005 reports that 57% of pastors state that pornography addiction is the most sexually damaging issue to their congregation (Safefamilies, 2010).
The bottom line?
We have to be vigilant at protecting our families from the damaging effects of pornography!
Here are a few ways you can begin to lay a groundwork to help protect your children from pornography:
- Add Internet filters to mobile devices home computers
- Create a Family Clean and Safe Media Pledge
- As a family, discuss ways to ensure Safe Cell Phone and Tablet Use, including Adjusting Safety Settings on Devices
- Turn on Google Safe Search and YouTube Safety Mode to block explicit content on those sites
- Install Conscience Companion Cursors on your computer to act as a constant reminder of commitments
- Turn off all online ads
- Talk to your kids about the dangers of pornography
