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Internet pornography poses a special challenge, according to the report, written after the Council's team of experts held meetings across the country and invited reports and studies. "The fact that children can sometimes see -- and even sometimes seek out -- images of naked people is not new. However, compared to other media, the Internet has characteristics that make it harder for adults to exercise responsible supervision over children's use of it," the report added. No scientific study has determined conclusively whether pornography actually hurts children, the report said, but it acknowledged that parents will not want their children exposed to it. "Filters are the most-used technology-based tool, and they can be highly effective in reducing the exposure of minors to inappropriate content if one is willing to run the risk of inadvertently blocking large amounts of appropriate material as well," Thornburgh said. Children can get around them, too, most easily by just going to a friend's house and going online. Plus, teens, especially, probably know more about such technology than their parents do. The Council, one of the National Academies of Science, reviewed some ways to restrict access to pornography. It said existing obscenity and pornography laws could be used more effectively, and there is room for more to be written. Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal law banning "virtual child pornography" that uses young adults or computer-generated pictures to depict children, ruling that it violated constitutional free-speech rights. But Thornburgh said prosecutors could and should go after such sites, which manipulate images of children, under obscenity laws. Incentives to pornography sites and Internet access providers may help, too, the report said. Creative approaches could include an offer of immunity from prosecution on obscenity charges to sites that voluntarily block children's access. — Reuters |
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