The National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction

The article reports the results of an extensive review of the literature and a survey of 190families, which the researchers conducted to study the extent of children’s exposure to negativeInternet content including pornography, violence, and sexual solicitation. The researcherssimultaneously examined the discrepancy between parents’ perception of their children’s Internetuse and their children’s actual activities. The primary focus of this study was the social contextof children’s Internet use, particularly the relationship of their Internet use to family dynamics.The researchers believe that, rather than merely reporting the children’s visits to Web sites ortheir general online activities, this study contributes new data concerning the content thatchildren actually encounter on the Internet. In addition, the study provides new informationregarding the role that the family environment and parent–child relationship play in a child’sexposure to negative Internet content. Moreover, the authors believe that their researchcontributes a theoretical framework that encompasses both the incidence of children’s negativeexposure online and parents’ perceived control over their children’s Internet activities.The researchers found that parents generally underestimate their children’s exposure to negativematerial on the Internet. They suggest that, in fact, children encounter negative content morefrequently than their parents believe. The study agrees with research conducted prior to 1995 thatexamined the effects of family communication patterns on children’s use of mass media—finding that as with earlier studies, parents of families exhibiting high levels of cohesion perceivegreater control over and understanding of their children’s Internet use.Ybarra, Michele L., and Kimberly J. Mitchell. “Exposure to Internet Pornography amongChildren and Adolescents: A National Survey.” CyberPsychology and Behavior 8, no. 5 (2005):473–86.Analyzing data from the First Youth Internet Safety Survey (2000), which the Crimes AgainstChildren Research Center at the University of New Hampshire designed to determine theincidence of and risk factors for youth exposure to sexual content on the Internet, this studyfocuses on youth who intentionally seek pornography. The authors found that the majority ofyouth who reported seeking pornography online and offline were male; only 5 percent of femalesreported having looked for pornography. The majority (87 percent) of those who reported havingsought sexual images online were older than 14. The authors of the study noted thedevelopmental appropriateness of this curiosity about sexuality in youth over the age of 14. Thesurvey measured the following: pornography seeking, demographic characteristics, Internetusagecharacteristics, unwanted exposure to sexual material, parental Internet controls,caregiver–child relationships, and psychosocial characteristics. The authors found that, althoughthe majority of youth intentionally seeking pornography online are older than 14, youngerchildren reported exposure to sexual images in magazines or on television. The younger childrenwho were regular Internet users and who reported that they had intentionally sought pornographyalso reported a significantly higher incidence of delinquent behavior, substance use, or clinicaldepression, or a combination of these.Analysis of the data identified several areas warranting further research: the small group offemales intentionally seeking pornography; the link between purposeful exposure to pornographyand emotional challenges, such as major depression or a poor emotional bond with a caregiver;the role of alcohol in delinquent behavior involving intentional seeking of pornography; andF-15