With so many homes, schools, and libraries hooking up to the Internet, adults must address the dangers children face on-line. There are two primary dangers to children on the Internet: Children’s easy access to pornography, and pedophile’s easy access to children. Many people mistakenly believe that because children cannot go into a 7-11 and buy Playboy magazine, the same must be true on the Internet. Unfortunately, children have free and easy access to all of the estimated 73,000 commercial porn sites on the Internet, the vast majority of which actually meet the Miller test as obscenity, and are therefore illegal material not considered protected by the First Amendment. Loopholes exist in laws currently applying to the Internet, allwing children to view pornography without any legal recourse against those who knowingly supply it to children.

Internet pornography is easily accessible by children, intentionally and unintentionally (example: using the word search "toys" and receiving links to "Adult Sex Toys" and "Horny Housewives and Their Boy Toys.") Additionally, the Internet is widely considered by law enforcement to be "the pedophile’s playground." Increasing numbers of news reports buttress the contention that children face on-line predators in large numbers. Although parents need to take precautions to protect their children, they cannot be with their children 24-hours a day, and children have other ports of access to the Internet, including at schools and libraries. How can our society protect children from sexual exploitation on-line?

Our community must require schools and libraries to have responsible, protective Internet access policies. Neither of these institutions needs to supply chat rooms, e-mail, or newsgroups if they choose to provide Internet access. Additionally, these institutions must utilize blocking technologies or closed systems to protect children from Internet pornographers and predators. Such measures would uphold our community’s standards by preventing access to illegal and harmful materials in the public schools and libraries. Expecting these community institutions to uphold community standards is reasonable and proper.

The harms of pornography are well-documented, including the promotion and causation of rape, child molestation, and other sexual violence. Our community should do what we can to protect our citizens, particularly children, from material which has been proven to have a significantly harmful effect on individuals and communities. One organization, Enough Is Enough, is working to bring attention to pornography’s harms, and to make the Internet safe for children. They are very willing to help anyone who wants to protect children from pornographers and predators. You can contact them at 1-888-2ENOUGH, or visit their web site at http://www.enough.org.