Protecting Our Children
Wireless Toys can Access Unfiltered Pornograpy, Put Children within Reach of Online Predators
Bu JoAnn Hamilton
January 28, 2008
Two national coalitions signed and sent a warning letter to religious congregations across this country to alert parents that “in direct communication with many of the largest wireless companies, we have learned that they do not intend to warn parents at the time of purchase about the dangers of internet pornography.” These coalitions consisted of 21 groups that were members of the national Religious Alliance Against Pornography.
What wireless toys are they referring to? Wireless handheld devices such as video cell phones, iPods, iPhones, PDAs, PlayStations and other video game consoles.
The letter states that, “Every child will have some peers or friends of peers that are plugged into the Internet through a wireless device (video mobile phone, PDA, video iPod, Iphone, PlayStation). Pornographic material is powerfully addictive and because those peers who will be impacted will talk about it, they will offer access to the material to others.
Young people and children are often more computer literate than their parents and grandparents and can be quite inquisitive about sexual things. Soon, almost every mobile phone will have Internet and picture capacity. Peer pressure to acquire these devices will be strong.
When children discover pornographic material on electronic gadgets, they will be vulnerable to its addictive nature.
When -- not if -- your child sees obscene material, he/she will likely be attracted and repulsed at the same time. Often the revulsion will wane and the titillation will come back and make it more difficult to consistently say “no.”
The coalition wanted to share the “disturbing reality now affecting the most innocent and vulnerable among us: America 's children and youth, families and communities stand to become victims of the immeasurable moral, social and spiritual damage which results.
Pornography used to be hidden between the mattresses and hidden away in obscure drawers. It moved to the movie theater, to the television screen and on to the computer screen. Now pornography's grasp reaches to wireless technology.
Government, the courts and especially the corporate sector will not protect our children. They have proven unwilling to do so. Only T-Mobile, AT&T and Alltel provide Internet blocking tools.
We should not view this scenario as strictly a matter of techno corporations playing the role of villain. The real danger lies in the perverse misuse of the technology and the fact that safeguards are limited in both availability and reliability. Exposure to unwanted, seductive and explicit content downloadable from the Internet onto these wireless handheld devices is a real and present danger. Aside from peddling smut, the new technology exposes children to online sexual predators who expose them to pornography and try to meet them without their parents' knowledge. These predators are masters at knowing how to manipulate children and exploit them.
Be involved in your children's lives and protect them by talking to them about these threats and monitoring their use of technology.
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For information on how to protect your children see www.strengthenthefamily.net
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