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10
Social and Educational Strategies
to Develop Personal and
Community Responsibility
A preadolescent boy using an Internet-enabled computer in class is
surfing the Internet. On his search engine, he comes across a link to a
Web site. He raises his hand and tells his teacher, "I think I am about to
go somewhere that I shouldn't go." The teacher stops the class and asks
the student to explain to the class why he thought his surfing might have
been about to take him to a place that he should not have gone.
10.1 FOUNDATIONS OF RESPONSIBLE CHOICE
Linda Roberts, then at the Department of Education, told the commit-
tee the story described above. The boy involved is arguably less vulner-
able to being exposed to inappropriate material on the Internet than if he
used any technological blocking mechanism for protection. The reason is
that his "filtering mechanism" has been internalized and he has internal
criteria for deciding what might constitute inappropriate material.
In other words, a child who faces a free choice and chooses respon-
sible and ethical options over others is protecting himself. Thus, the
issue at hand is one that relates to the sense of ethics and responsibility
and the character underlying a free (and often unaided) choice. Indeed, it
has been frequently mentioned to the committee that those who really
want to obtain inappropriate sexually explicit material on the Internet
will generally find ways of doing so, circumventing all technological mea-
sures to curtail access to such material. For determined individuals with
218
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SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL STRATEGIES
219
the technical skills to do so, only a conscious choice to refrain from such
seeking will reduce his or her access to these materials.
Almost by definition, a child is not yet fully mature, even if, as in the
case of adolescents, their physiology may be fully capable of sexual en-
gagement. No maturing child is immune to temptation. No curious child
is safe from the cyberspace equivalents of touching the hot stove, tum-
bling into the unprotected swimming pool, and getting into any "nice
man's" car.
Children need supervision. They also need love. Parents and teachers
provide both. Children need significant adult reference points signifi-
cant adults who, in fact, function as reference works. They are there to
answer questions and point inquiring minds in the direction of "right" (in
the sense of sensible, ethical, correct, and age-appropriate) answers. Ex-
perimentation is part of the discovery process; reckless endangerment
is not.
As children develop morally and ethically, they internalize principles
and values that work from within to prompt external actions. Once inter-
nalized, they support "habits" and facilitate habitual behavior. Thus the
role of ethical and moral education is to articulate guiding principles for
the child that can be freely chosen and, once internalized, serve to prompt
appropriate behavior. A person of character is a principled person. Sig-
nificant adults parents, teachers, coaches, counselors, clergy articulate
and explain principles to the young, and the learning role of the latter is to
assimilate them.
The problem of developing character is compounded by the impor-
tant role of community. In real life, the presence of a supportive commu-
nity is generally regarded as a major positive factor in the development of
an individual's sense of social responsibility and responsible behavior.
But in an online environment (especially an anonymous one), a shared
sense of community with all of the attendant rights and responsibili-
ties is hard to develop among individuals who see the Internet in purely
instrumental terms. Anonymity in particular (as would be true in an
environment that does not require individual logins, and as is true for
much Web surfing) enables individuals to escape responsibility and to
avoid negative consequences for inappropriate behavior.2
In any event, encouraging youngsters to become principled persons
is no easy task. One path to a principled life focuses on the internalization
~See, for example, Robert Putnam, 2000, Bowling Alone, Simon & Schuster, New York.
2True anonymous Web surfing is possible only if one takes special measures to be anony-
mous. Nevertheless, the perception that one is anonymous on the Internet even without
taking special measures is strong, and in any case, a perception of anonymity (or at least
privacy) can result simply from having a screen that no one else can see.
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YOUTH, PORNOGRAPHY, AND THE INTERNET
of family values, family traditions, and shared meanings within the fam-
ily that can help to shape the developing character of a child, and help
"explain" why a given youngster chooses to do this or avoid that. For
those who are religious, this can include faith-based values in this inter-
nalization process. These principles and values can serve to help a child
judge what is or is not reasonable in a context broader than the imme-
diacy of pleasure and pain, of "getting caught" or "getting away with it."
Indeed, an approach based primarily on punishment presupposes
that children engaging in inappropriate behavior will be caught misbe-
having. As a practical matter, detection of such behavior will often not
occur, especially if those children seek to remain undetected. While the
fear of punishment will deter some children, others often do things for
which they might be caught and punished in spite of that possibility-
fear of punishment is not enough to deter these children from things they
really want to do. Moreover, the research literature indicates that the
threat of punishment per se is not an effective approach to helping indi-
viduals internalize codes of behavior.3 While such a threat is sometimes
effective in deterring undesirable behavior, individuals who find them-
selves free of the threat often revert to the undesired behavior.
These comments do not detract from the positive role that punish-
ment or discipline may play as one element of an approach to education. It
is entirely appropriate to impose sanctions for the deliberate violation of
rules if such rules have been explained clearly and discussion with chil-
dren about their rationale and purpose has been entertained. But expla-
nation and discussion are essential for putting these rules into context as
appropriate reflections of parental values.
Every parent has the difficult task of determining where trust ends
and neglect begins. They want to trust their children, and their children-
particularly in the teen years want to be trusted. But parents don't want
to be negligent, and their offspring often find it difficult to appreciate the
tug-of-war within a parent's heart between the desire to trust and the fear
of neglect. Though parents might wish otherwise, there is no clear and
simple line of demarcation.
For example, as noted in Section 10.4, parents can insist that children
not have access to a computer in the privacy of their bedrooms. Better to
have it outside in the hall, or downstairs in the family room to have it, in
other words, in a place where casual passersby can appear at any time. It
is not that the children aren't trusted; it is simply an acknowledgment that
3see, for example, M.~. Hoffman, igss, ''Morai Development,,, in Developmental Psychol-
ogy: An Advanced Textbook, 2nd Ed., M.H. sornstein and M.E. Lamb, eds., Erlbaum, Hillsdale,
N.J.; and G.H. srody and D.R. Shaffer, 1982, '~Contributions of Parents and Peers to Chil-
dren~s Moral Socialization,,, Developmental Review 2: 31-75.
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SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL STRATEGIES
221
children are children and are more likely to do the right thing when they
know they might be observed.
By extension, the character issue touches what is commonly referred
to as "socially responsible business." This is an area of practical, applied
business ethics. As in any other industry, those in the adult entertain-
ment industry have a social responsibility not only to provide return to
shareholders but also to behave in ways that promote the good of society.
Because society's best hope for a better future lies with its children, all
businesses have responsibilities for helping and not hindering the young
along a safe path to mature character development.
One dimension of that responsibility is to engage in business lines
and practices that uphold human dignity and refrain from exploitation.
But a perhaps more important dimension is to help create an environment
in which children can play, learn, and explore without fear of coming
across material that is inappropriate for them. Thus, for example, entirely
apart from legal requirements to do so, those in the adult online industry
have important ethical and moral responsibilities to keep their material
away from children, even if that has some negative financial implications.
10.2 DEFINITION OF A SOCIAL OR EDUCATIONAL STRATEGY
For purposes of this report, social or educational strategies are coordi-
nated plans of action that seek to develop in young people the ability to
make responsible and safe choices about Internet use, to make good deci-
sions about content to be viewed, to reduce their exposure to inappropriate
material, and to mitigate the consequences, if any, of viewing inappropriate
material. These strategies include activities that educate parents and young
people on Internet use and address a variety of issues arising from online
use, such as how to reduce exposure to inappropriate material and how to
give young people skills to mitigate any possible effects they might experi-
ence from encountering sexually explicit or inappropriate material online.
Through its deliberations and on the basis of testimony and other
information received, the committee has found that social and educa-
tional strategies are foundational for children's safe, effective, and appro-
priate use of the Internet. This is not to say that technology plays no
role indeed, many technological tools can support the development and
teaching of skills, attitudes, and ethical codes of behavior that will enable
young people to use the Internet appropriately. Rather, exclusive or
even primary reliance on technological measures for protection would
be an abdication of parental and community responsibility and is likely to
be ineffective as well.
Table 10.1 provides an overview of the social and educational strate-
gies described in this report.
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YOUTH, PORNOGRAPHY, AND THE INTERNET
TABLE 10.1 Social and Educational Strategies for Protecting Children on
the Internet
Description
One Illus
Parental supervision
Peer assistance
Acceptable use policies (AUPs)
Internet safety education (ISE)
Information and media (I/M) literacy
Compelling content
Media campaigns
Active, in-person supervision of child's
Internet use
Help provided by sibling or peer mentor
acting as guide to child's use of the
Internet
Statement explicating in detail what
constitutes acceptable and unacceptable
use of the Internet and what
consequences flow from the latter
Explicit instruction on what constitutes
safe Internet behavior and how to
recognize dangerous, inappropriate
situations
Facility in using critical reasoning skills
to obtain information sought and to
evaluate the content of information that
. . .
IS reCelVea
Content specifically designed to appeal
to children that is non-commercial and
educational and/or positive in
orientation
Initiatives featuring media spots and
public service announcements about the
nature of the Internet, the potential
dangers of Internet activity for children,
and parental options for exerting
influence
10.3 CONTEXTUAL ISSUES FOR SOCIAL
AND EDUCATIONAL STRATEGIES
New technology often does not live up to its promises. One reason is
that because technology changes rapidly for everyone, technology tools
developed to solve problems exposed by other technological develop-
ments may be quickly rendered obsolete. But a more important reason is
that the underlying issues are social. It is true that the Internet may have
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SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL STRATEGIES
ldren on
223
One Illustrative Advantage
One Illustrative Disadvantage
Provides closest connection to the values
that the parent wishes to impart to child
Provides guidance and influence to which
children may be more responsive (com-
pared to parental advice or assistance)
Provides clear behavioral guidelines for
child about what should and should not
be done
Provides clear guidance for child about
how to conduct himself or herself on the
Internet
Emphasizes critical reasoning skills that
are valuable in many contexts other than
Internet use
Availability of such material would help
to divert children's attention from
inappropriate materials and experiences
Can contribute a basic awareness of the
issues in a broad segment of the
population
Probably not feasible to provide constant
active supervision of child's Internet
access, especially as child gets older
Older sibling may lead younger one into
trouble; non-family peer mentors may
spend little time with child
Infractions of AUP may not be
discovered; without concerted attention,
may become just one more form to be
filled out
No obvious forum in most existing
curricula to include ISE
No obvious forum in most existing
curricula to include I/M literacy
Child market not preferred by most
businesses because adult market is more
lucrative
Absent follow-through in other non-
media channels, significant constructive
behavioral changes in parents are
unlikely
exacerbated public concerns about the access of young people to inappro-
priate sexually explicit material, but the Internet is more a symptom than
the basic issue. Furthermore, those who really want to disseminate inap-
propriate materials or find inappropriate materials on the Internet have
proven adept at circumventing technology-based solutions. As the tech-
nology improves, so also do its circumventers, in a never-ending game of
action and reaction. This pattern is repeated in almost every instance
where technology is used to thwart undesirable behavior.
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YOUTH, PORNOGRAPHY, AND THE INTERNET
The committee believes that the fundamental issue is how to teach a
young person to make wise choices, to stay in control of his or her online
experiences, to be critical and skeptical about the underlying messages in
advertising and romanticized and sexualized images, and to report other
users soliciting personal information or harassing them. A young person
who has been taught effectively about such matters will bring that training
to any device that he or she uses and in any venue that offers online access.
An analogy might be drawn to children and swimming pools. Swim-
ming pools pose some threat to the safety and well-being of children. But
swimming pools provide benefits to their owners and children in many
different ways. Technology in the form of fences around pools, pool
alarms, and locks can help protect children from drowning in swimming
pools. However, teaching a child to swim and when to avoid pools is a
far safer approach than relying on locks, fences, and alarms to prevent him
or her from drowning. Does this mean that parents should not buy fences,
alarms, and locks? Of course not because they do provide some benefit.
But parents cannot rely exclusively on these devices to keep their children
safe from drowning, and most parents recognize that a child who knows
how to swim is less likely to be harmed than one who does not. Further-
more, teaching a child to swim and to exercise good judgment about bodies
of water to avoid has applicability and relevance far beyond swimming
pools as any parent who takes a child to the beach can testify.
Note also that social and educational strategies are the only way to deal
with young people determined to seek out inappropriate material. Those
who are determined are bound to find ways to circumvent any technologi-
cal measures; to the extent that social and educational strategies can reduce
the desire and motivation for seeking out inappropriate material or engag-
ing in inappropriate activities, such behavior can be reduced. When tech-
nological protection does not work, or when it is not present, the individual
involved must rely on his or her own internal resources to cope with the
issue, whether it is in choosing to refrain from "getting into trouble" or
knowing how to cope with whatever trouble arises.
In designing social and educational strategies, developmental issues
are critical. For example, very young children are generally not capable of
handling a full range of unconstrained choices. However, as they gradu-
ally mature, it is usually appropriate to give them a wider range of choices
and increasing amounts of responsibility. Of course, the nature and scope
of increased freedoms to choose are not generally based solely on age, but
for most young people, age is a relevant factor in teaching them increas-
ingly mature and responsible behavior.4
4In some ways, the developmental issue is similar to that of learning to drive. Licenses
for driving an automobile in all states are graduated to some extent Learners permit and
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SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL STRATEGIES
225
For example, one time-honored practice of good parenting is to teach
children to make responsible decisions by sharply constraining their choices
at first and then broadening the universe of choices as they grow more
mature and more capable of making informed and wise decisions. Of
course, under these circumstances, children may make some mistakes and
injudicious choices. But when the universe of choices is limited to those
that are at least minimally acceptable, children have a chance to learn how
to make good choices by exercising choice. Further, the decision-making
skills they acquire in doing so can be carried over to their later lives in
which the universe of choices is not composed exclusively of safe options.
A major point to be considered about social and educational strate-
gies is that they are not simple to implement. They require forethought,
planning, and extensive follow-through. They can be costly, both in terms
of dollars and in terms of time. Often, they conflict with other pressing
needs. For example, most K-12 curricula are already overloaded, and
information and media literacy curricula must compete for time in the
schedule with physical education, sex education, consumer literacy, and a
variety of other pressures on the curriculum. Pediatricians, who can speak
with youth about safety and puberty, and must complete health forms to
be submitted to schools, have limited time with each of their young pa-
tients. Parental efforts must compete with making sure that children
clean their rooms, do their homework, get to the soccer or basketball
game on time, avoid unhealthy use of drugs and alcohol, and so on.
On the other hand, if the problem of exposure to inappropriate mate-
rials and experiences is as severe and consequential as many parents
believe it to be, there is no particular evidence indicating that the cost of
such programs is exorbitant. Moreover, the benefits that accrue from
effective social and educational strategies go far beyond protecting chil-
dren and youth from inappropriate sexually explicit material. They have
relevance to many situations that individuals are likely to encounter, both
online and offline, and will help them to navigate their Internet experi-
ences with confidence and wisdom.
10.4 PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT AND SUPERVISION
There is a broad consensus that the best approach to protecting young
people on the Internet from inappropriate material and online predators
full driving privileges), and in some cases more finely (e.g., teens with solo driving privi-
leges only during the day). While the notion of government licensing for using the Internet
is not particularly appealing or sensible, the idea of age-based expectations for appropriate
Internet use makes developmental sense. Parents may wish to consider what skills and
knowledge related to the Internet they want their children to have before they give them
different degrees of unsupervised Internet access.
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Representative terms from entire chapter:
sexually explicit
226
YOUTH, PORNOGRAPHY, AND THE INTERNET
is the attentive presence of a responsible parent, teacher, librarian, or
mentor who is available to provide help and guidance, and to intervene
when necessary. While this image does characterize some family situa-
tions, parents in most families are pressed for time. Parents in many fami-
lies today face long workdays, long commutes, and considerable work-
related overnight travel. Single-parent households are common, as are
families in which both parents work full time. These facts suggest that
continual in-person supervision of a child's Internet usage by a parent is
not likely to be achieved by many families.
Notwithstanding limits on the time that parents have available, par-
ents can still take actions in the home setting that can help their children
to develop a sense of safe Internet use. No one action is definitive, and
nothing effective can be done just once, but no sensible parent has ever
imagined that the task of parenting and of teaching one's children the
skills in navigating through any aspect of life would be easy.
· Parents can develop a basic understanding of what is on the Internet and
what their children can do with it. The Internet world that most adults inhabit
is far more work-centered than the one inhabited by most children, which
focuses on social interaction, entertainment, and spontaneous play to a far
greater degree. (This suggestion is not much different from the advice
given in a non-Internet context that parents should be aware of the movies
and TV shows and music that engage a child's attention.)
Such understanding is useful from two perspectives. Parents who do
not know what their children can do and see on the Internet may be
overly complacent about the dangers to their children. Also, parents who
do not know the routes through which their children can be exposed to
such inappropriate material and dangerous experiences may be exces-
sively fearful because they lack perspective on the ease or frequency with
which such exposures might occur. It is noteworthy that a Pew Internet
and American Life survey found that parents who do not use the Internet
themselves generally tend to be more concerned for their children's Inter-
net safety than parents with more online experience.5
Parents also learn from more experienced parents, child-care work-
ers, and pediatricians, about age-appropriate "harm prevention" steps to
take in homes: remove lead paint; install child-resistant clips on drawers
where chemicals, knives, or guns are kept; install child-resistant covers
for electric outlets; teach children never to use the stove without an adult
5Pew Internet Project. 2001. Teenage Life Online: The Rise of the Instant-message Generation
and the Internet's Impact on Friendships and Family Relationships. Pew Internet and American
Life Project, Washington, D.C. Available online at
SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL STRATEGIES
227
present; obtain and use bicycle helmets; and so on. Inquiries to these
more experienced and knowledgeable individuals could result in analo-
gous recommendations to new parents regarding Internet safety.
· Computers can be located in such a way that private, solitary viewing by
children is not possible. For example, computers located in private bed-
rooms cannot be supervised as easily as computers in public spaces (e.g.,
in family rooms or dens). When the potential exists for a responsible
adult to happen across a screen displaying possibly inappropriate mate-
rial while the child is there, the child is likely to be motivated to refrain
from deliberate misbehavior. Moreover, if the child encounters some-
thing upsetting or inappropriate by mistake, it is more likely that he or
she can obtain help more quickly and spontaneously. Also, if a computer
is located in a public space, the adult supervisor can more easily wander
over to inquire about what the child is doing.
· Parents and their children can discuss household rules and expectations
for a child's use of the Internet. Issues to discuss may included
When and under what circumstances Internet use is permissible,
The amount of time that a child may spend using the Internet,
The types of activities and Web sites that are acceptable and
unacceptable,
Internet, and
What information may be given out or disclosed when using the
What should be done if the child becomes uncomfortable in us-
ing the Internet.
It may also be helpful for parents and children to discuss expectations
for the use of the Internet at school. Depending on a given family's values,
a school's acceptable use policy may allow certain Web sites or activities
to which a parent might object.
· Parents can explicitly provide instruction and guidance to their children
about inappropriate activities and explain why their viewing of sexually explicit
materials may be inappropriate. Parents at one committee site visit went so
far as to argue that the best way to educate children about inappropriate
sites was to show them some inappropriate sites and engage in a conver-
sation with them about why they were inappropriate. For these parents
(and for a number of those who testified to the committee as well), the
problem posed by sexually explicit material was not inherent in the sexual
explicitness of the material itself, but rather the lack of a responsibly
presented explanatory context. In other words, the concern was not so
6This list is derived from Nancy Willard, 2001, "Supporting the Safe and Responsible Use
of the Internet by Students: A Children's Internet Protection Act Planning Guide," Center
for Advanced Technology in Education, College of Education, University of Oregon, avail-
able online at .
228
YOUTH, PORNOGRAPHY, AND THE INTERNET
much that exposure to the material itself would be harmful, as the fact
that without good explanations for why the material was inappropriate,
children would get the wrong messages from it.
· Parents can set limits for how much time a child may spend online.
When time is constrained, people are more likely to concentrate on the
activities that they value most highly. To the extent that children seek out
inappropriate material out of idle curiosity, these are the activities that
are most likely to be curtailed in the presence of time limits.
· Parents can become more aware of tools and programs for Internet safety
already available to them. For example, parents may not know about the
resources of GetNetWise (Box 10.1) or about the suggestions on the
Children's Partnership Web site on strategies they can use at home to
guide their children's Internet use (Box 10.2~. Parents may also not
know about the educational programs offered by their local libraries or
by non-profit groups in their area and as such are missing other oppor-
tunities to receive training and assistance in this effort (Box 10.3 pro-
vides an example).
· Parents can learn to deal with the fact that their children may be more
adept technologically than they are. It is accepted wisdom that many chil-
dren especially adolescents know more about technology than do their
SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL STRATEGIES
247
Though the skills of critical evaluation tend to be more useful in
helping youth to deal with other types of material that may be inappro-
priate, once an exposure to sexually explicit images has occurred, critical
evaluation is still relevant. For example, the sexually explicit images
found on adult-oriented Web sites generally do not provide "safer sex"
messages. A good understanding of the role that sexual imagery plays in
modern media could provide occasion for useful reflection. Critical evalu-
ation thus provides skills that youth can use to help deal constructively
with exposure to inappropriate material.
Skills related to finding information are perhaps more relevant to the
task of reducing exposure to sexually explicit material. For example,
performing an effective Web search that is, one that retrieves relevant
information and minimizes the amount of undesired information re-
quires the selection of the right set of keywords, familiarity with Boolean
logic, choosing the right search engine for the topic, and knowing how to
navigate through a browser so that it is easy to enter and exit Web sites,
databases, and other online resource tools. Such skills can help to reduce
the likelihood that a searcher might come across inappropriate material
inadvertently. For example, if a search engine returned a link to a Web
site that the searcher had learned to recognize would likely contain adult-
oriented sexually explicit material rather than information on reproduc-
tion or sexually transmitted diseases, he or she could simply refrain from
accessing that site.
Programs in media literacy generally focus on understanding media
messages in context. That is, the "face" content of a media message is
only one aspect of it. A media-literate individual understands how to
evaluate the truthfulness and reliability of a media message, and also
knows to ask about the motivations and intent of the party or parties
responsible for distributing that message. (Some such literacy is pro-
vided in consumer education programs and materials, such as those pro-
vided by Consumer Reports.)
The significance of such literacy in the context of evaluating content
found on the World Wide Web is obvious, where a good deal of Web
content is not reliable or accurate by any standard. But media literacy
also has relevance to an adolescent who may be exposed to inappropriate
sexually explicit materials, either deliberately or inadvertently. Media lit-
eracy can help a young person ask questions such as:
· Why are these pictures being shown to me?
· Is what I am seeing a true and realistic image of what sex is like?
· Why are other people drawn to these images?
· What important things are not being shown in these images?
248
YOUTH, PORNOGRAPHY, AND THE INTERNET
· What are the circumstances that led the individuals being depicted
into their being photographed?
· Could an adult help me better understand what I'm seeing?
In short, media literacy can help to promote a more detached, more
evaluative, and more reflective view of media, messages, and one's own
self. By doing so, it may well strengthen impulse control and empathy,
and help lead one to question one's own behavior and is likely to reduce
the exposure resulting from impulsive behavior.
Information and media literacy also addresses the responsible place-
ment of information on the Internet, for example on Web sites and in e-
mail. Thus, the creation of information must be undertaken in a respon-
sible manner that communicates what the creator intends. Responsibility
might, for example, include the notion that the posting of composite pho-
tographs (e.g., face of a classmate pasted onto a naked body without
permission) constitutes unethical and inappropriate behavior. Repeated
e-mails to a party (e.g., one person asking another for a date) can be
regarded as harassment if the subject of the e-mails has requested a cessa-
tion of such e-mails.
The research base for understanding the effectiveness of information
and media literacy training and education is thin, but two experimental
studies provide evidence that suggests beneficial effects in the short run.
One study provided some information and media literacy instruction to
elementary school children viewing violent cartoons.31 This instruction
asked them to think about the feelings of the victim of violence through-
out the episode and those who received such instruction did not experi-
ence a desensitizing change in attitude toward violence nor did they find
the cartoon to be as funny as those not receiving such instruction. An-
other study focused on girls in their early teens, instructing them in how
to think critically about media messages regarding how women should
think about romance, love, and sexuality.32 They responded by criticizing
the media because they felt the media encouraged them to focus too much
on romance and trying to attract men. If such studies can be generalized,
helping youth to understand how and whv sexually explicit adult-ori-
.J .J 1
31A.I. Nathanson and J. Cantor. 2000. "Reducing the Aggression-promoting Effect of
Violent Cartoons by Increasing Children's Fictional Involvement with the Victim," Journal
of Broadcasting and Electronic Media 44: 125-142.
32Sarah Keller, "How Do Early Adolescent Girls Use Media to Shape Their Romantic
Identities?" unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill,
2000. Some of the results from this dissertation can be found in National Research Council
and Institute of Medicine, 2001, Nontechnical Strategies to Reduce Children's Exposure to Inap-
propriate Material on the Internet: Summary of a Workshop.
SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL STRATEGIES
249
ented materials are produced and consumed may be of some assistance in
helping to "inoculate" these youth to some of the effects of such materials.
As with much education, information and media literacy is likely
pursued best in a one-on-one context. By talking to a student searching
for information on a particular topic, adults can teach him or her effective
search strategies for such information. Once a number of sources are
found, talking to the student about how to evaluate those sources can
help to develop critical thinking skills. Of course, one-on-one interaction
is also labor-intensive, and a one-on-one format is less feasible in situa-
tions in which many students must be served. In such situations, group
and in-class instruction can also be helpful.
For application in a mass education environment, a variety of schools
have adopted educational standards that address certain information and
media literacy skills. For example, the state of Wisconsin has adopted
learning standards that call for fourth graders to be able to use Web sites
that have been preselected and bookmarked by the teacher, eighth grad-
ers to know effective search strategies, and twelfth graders to be able to
evaluate Internet content for validity and reliability as well as to assess
the search engines for effectiveness and the way in which they return
information.33
10.8.3 Collateral Issues
Internet safety education and information and media literacy can be
regarded as elements of a comprehensive approach to education in which
the use of technology is fully integrated with pedagogical goals. A1-
though a full discussion of education that is well integrated with technol-
ogy is beyond the scope of this report, the following points are worth
consideration:
· Internet safety is only one dimension of productive and appropri-
ate use of the Internet. It is also a dimension of appropriate use that
young people learn not to use the Internet for socially detrimental and/or
illegal purposes. For example, harassment conducted online is no less
serious than harassment conducted offline. The use of a computer to
penetrate another computer, even if that second computer has weak se-
curity, is analogous to walking into someone else's house without per-
mission, even if the door is unlocked. In short, responsibility is also an
important dimension of one's Internet use.
. . ~ ~ .
33see .
250
YOUTH, PORNOGRAPHY, AND THE INTERNET
· Professional development for educators using the Internet is im-
portant and must go beyond the mere mechanics of how to use a search
engine and how to send e-mail. That is, educators must learn how the
Internet can support pedagogical objectives as well as how to teach In-
ternet safety.34 Both pre-service and in-service teacher training is thus
called for.
· Ethical and legal behavior on the Internet and in using technology
is a part of the technology education standards developed by the Interna-
tional Society for Technology in Education for students, teachers, and
administrators.35 To the extent that technology education becomes an
important part of K-12 education, issues related to ethical and legal be-
havior will have to be addressed.
· To integrate technology into schools, an adequate technology in-
frastructure is necessary. For a variety of reasons, today's information
technology is not well adapted to the needs of K-12 education. Develop-
ing a generation of information technology adapted for the special needs
of schools is the focus of a National Research Council project in progress
as this book goes to press.36
10.9 COMPELLING AND SAFE CONTENT
In various site visits, teachers reported to the committee that their most
effective strategy for dissuading students from engaging in inappropriate
activities on the Internet was to keep students "on task" focused on activi-
ties relevant to the educational task at hand. Often, teachers prepared for a
class by compiling a list of helpful Web sites appropriate for that class.
Such a list, combined with restrictions on the amount of time students were
allowed to use school Internet facilities, resulted in "students not having
time to get into trouble," according to these teachers.
A generalization of this strategy would call for the creation of Internet
content that is compelling and educational for young people, so compel-
ling that they are less inclined to spend their time searching for inappro-
priate material or engaging in inappropriate or unsafe activities. Material
that is productive, stimulating, and developmentally beneficial could in-
clude more Web sites devoted to sexual health and education so that
34For example, the CyberSmart! program is a professionally developed curriculum for K-
8 students and supports teachers in educational efforts to introduce responsible and effec-
tive Internet use. For more information see .
35see .
36see for information on the NRC project
on improving learning with information technology.
SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL STRATEGIES
251
curious adolescents could obtain reliable information on sexuality rather
than, or at least before, finding sexually explicit material that lacks infor-
mation or that depicts unprotected sex or other unsafe sexual practices.
An analogy can be drawn to the development of high-quality televi-
sion programming for children. An example of commercially supported
programming in this domain is Nickir, a component of the Nickelodeon
network's programming. NickJr is supported by advertising revenues
and is popular among its target audience,37 suggesting that high-quality
television programs can be of interest and of educational value to some
children, that associated Web sites that support these messages may be
equally valuable for their development, and that this kind of program-
ming can be viable in the commercial marketplace. Note also that the
Nickir Web site also has quality software, derived from its TV program-
ming, that is oriented toward preschool-aged children.
On the other hand, commercial sources of content depend on a finan-
cial base that relies almost exclusively on ratings, which implies that their
content must be oriented toward mass markets (for example, their content
is more commonly "action-oriented" with more violent material that more
easily draws an audience, and cannot economically be tailored to niche
markets). Further, because the production and airing of commercial ma-
terial are often subsidized by getting children to buy products, it is gener-
ally less expensive to develop child-oriented commercial material; chil-
dren also like a flow back and forth between television and online content,
giving commercial content a further appeal. Major commercial sources
have the resources to experiment with different approaches to their online
offerings, an important characteristic in a new environment in which suc-
cessful formulas for engaging children with healthy Web content are
largely unknown. From their physical-world presence, they also have
brand recognition (e.g., Disney, Nickelodeon, and Sesame Street) that
enables many parents to trust the content they provide.
Because non-commercial sources do not rely on mass markets for
financial viability, they can execute more readily on their mandate to
educate. For example, the content of non-commercial programming can
be tailored more finely to smaller age-appropriate ranges, or to topics and
approaches that are more highly specialized. While non-commercial pro-
gramming does not in general have the mass market appeal of much
commercial programming, the availability of non-commercial program-
ming would tap into the needs of a number of smaller markets, poten-
tially meeting demand that is not manifested in a commercial environ-
37Sandra Calvert et aL 2001. '~Children~s Online Reports About Educational and Infor-
mational Television Programs,,, Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology 22~1~: 103-117.
252
YOUTH, PORNOGRAPHY, AND THE INTERNET
meet. The committee also believes that the presence of non-commercial
sources such as PBS changes the environment for commercial providers
by creating greater incentives for commercial providers to do more inter-
esting and creative programming and raising the standard of quality.
(This change in the environment is at least as important as the quality
programming for which it is directly responsible.) Box 10.7 describes
some possible non-commercial content developers.
In the Internet arena, Yahooligans is a Yahoo-sponsored "kids area"
with sections on sports, news, jokes, games, chat, bulletin board postings,
and online special-interest clubs. It also provides resources for education
(oriented toward school work), sports, computers, and entertainment, as
well as information for parents, teachers, and children for Internet safety.
The theory is that young people would choose to go to these sites and
portals voluntarily, which in turn would keep them away from adult
material.
The approach of creating content that specifically appeals to children
has a number of benefits. One major appeal is that the evaluation of
educational Web sites is more feasible than trying to evaluate online con-
tent as a whole. Because the volume of material to be evaluated is so much
smaller, considerable effort (hours rather than seconds) can be expended
SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL STRATEGIES
253
to produce an evaluation that is thorough, rigorous, feasible, and can
grapple with the extent to which a site is developmentally appropriate,
relevant to young people's needs and interests, and user-friendly.38 In
addition, the availability of good Web sites that attract the attention and
interest of young people relieves to some extent the burden on parents to
provide direction. These educational Web sites could also include infor-
mation on online safety as well as other educational content.
Good content can also draw on a scientific understanding of the de-
velopmental needs and milestones of children in cognitive, social, emo-
tional, and moral dimensions. For example, based on such research,
schools in Wisconsin have developed Internet-related educational objec-
tives that students must meet by the end of certain years and that teach
skills such as effective searching and how to evaluate online content for
truthfulness and validity.
It appears to be quite difficult, however, to find business models that
can independently support the development of such content for the Inter-
net. One of the ironies of the Internet is that adult entertainment is one of
the very few businesses that have been able to make a profit on the Inter-
net, while markets for high-quality Internet content for children languish.
Experience in the wake of the dot-coin meltdown illustrates that building
any Internet-based business is difficult, but it appears to be especially
difficult to create good offerings for children. Some of the key challenges
include:
· Limited bandwidth. Even et broadband speeds, most children find
content coming over the Internet frustrating. (Adults do as well.) Video
or animation, especially over a dial-up connection, can be quite jerky,
making it virtually unmatchable by many children. Furthermore, other
media such as TV, video games, and PC-based software offer content that
tends to be much more matchable, and the instant response that these
other media offer places Internet content at a significant disadvantage.
Content can be designed to work well over the Internet. Nevertheless, it
is likely that content creators will be making creative sacrifices in order to
38In the committee's December 2000 workshop, Sarah Keller described the evaluation
process of the ASHA Web site, , a project in which she is cur-
rently involved. This process began with a content analysis that compares the information
available on the site to the recommendations established by the Sexual Information and
Education Council, SIECUS, a recognized authority on sex education. The analysis was
used to create an online survey to measure the site's impact on teen knowledge, attitudes,
and intended behaviors. The site was evaluated using the American Library Association's
recommendations on navigability, accuracy, authority, currency, and objectivity (see
~.
254
YOUTH, PORNOGRAPHY, AND THE INTERNET
obtain viewability placing such content at a disadvantage with respect
to content carried in other media.
· Privacy concerns. Online businesses that are directed at children
must comply with a variety of regulations emanating from the Children's
Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). While such regulations have
benefits, COPPA has also imposed costs on such businesses that they did
not previously incur,39 and it is likely that the added costs of complying
with COPPA have increased the operating burden felt by some develop-
ers of material for younger children and resulted in a smaller volume of
such material.
· Safety concerns. The newness of the Internet and the media public-
ity regarding untoward Internet experiences (e.g., abductions resulting
from Internet-enabled interactions) have made many parents fearful of
allowing their younger children on the Internet.
· Financing. Even in the high-flying days of venture capital, it was
hard to develop plausible business models for how an Internet service
oriented toward children would eventually be profitable. Advertisers are
often uninterested in targeting children online, and Web sites that offer
traffic that consists mostly of children are not in high demand.
Finally, creating compelling and safe content de nova is not the only
way to assemble collections of such material. Portals and Web sites that
lead to developmentally appropriate, educational, and enjoyable material
on a broad range of appealing topics (not just sex and sex education)
would help to keep young people away from inappropriate sexually ex-
plicit material (as well as other types of inappropriate material) by pro-
viding a venue that children preferred. Lists of appropriate Web sites
suitable for classroom or in-home use are a "poor-man's" analog to these
kinds of portal teachers and/or parents can create lists of interesting
and appropriate Web sites for easy browser access by bookmarking them,
and even a list of such sites on paper would be helpful in many circum-
stances. Also, school districts and libraries are creating portals to educa-
tionally oriented Web sites to help students do their work.
10.10 PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS
AND MEDIA CAMPAIGNS
Because many adults do not know much about the need for Internet
safety, or about the nature and extent of dangers on the Internet, they
39For example, COPPA requires a parent to send a note through the postal service or to
fax a form to document parental permission for answering questions that ask for personal
information, both of which are time-consuming, inefficient, and costly to process.
SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL STRATEGIES
255
often do not know what they do not know. Thus, they can be complacent
and do nothing about protecting their children on the Internet, or they can
exaggerate the dangers, believing from media scare stories that "pornog-
raphy" and sexual predators on the Internet are as ubiquitous as commer-
cials on television or radio.
By themselves, public service announcements (PSAs) and media cam-
paigns cannot provide comprehensive education about complex topics.
However, they are ideal for relatively simple messages. For example, the
late 1980s saw a major public awareness campaign offering the message,
"It's ten o'clock. Do you know where your kids are?" A similar campaign
today for Internet safety might offer a message like, "What did your kids
do online today?," or "You, too, can learn about protecting your kids on
the Internet!" or "Would you let a stranger in your child's bedroom?" to
encourage the placement of computers in public parts of the home.
Since the mid 1990s, a number of concerned companies in the Internet
publishing industry have sought to demonstrate their interest in educat-
ing the public at large about the dangers that the Internet can present to
children. These industry-sponsored self-policing programs include Amer-
icaLinksUp, which ran roughly from December 1997 to October 1998, and
GetNetWise, which started in the spring of 1999 and still exists today.
AmericaLinksUp was spawned by the Internet Online Summit: Focus
on Children held in Washington, D.C., in December 1997. The conference
consisted of a day of Clinton Administration, congressional, and Internet
industry leaders speaking to the importance of establishing a public-pri-
vate partnership to protect the public interest and obviate the need for
introducing legislation to regulate the Internet. One of the outcomes was
AmericaLinksUp, which was funded primarily by several major media
companies, including AOL, Time Warner, and the Walt Disney Com-
pany, to demonstrate corporate commitment to raising public awareness
about the importance of parents monitoring their children's activities on
the Web and of children being aware of the dangers that can be encoun-
tered when surfing the Web. AmericaLinksUp created television and
radio PSA spots that were designed to target parents and children as
separate demographic groups. ABC Television Network, ABC Radio Net-
work, Turner Broadcasting System, and Lifetime Television all provided
air time pro bono during August and September of 1998 to broadcast
these PSAs. Despite the fact that the PSAs were very emotionally evoca-
tive, AmericaLinksUp most likely had minimal impact due to the limited
nature of any media campaign that has virtually no media budget.
Operated under the auspices of the non-profit Internet Education
Foundation, GetNetWise was in many ways the successor to America-
LinksUp, and is supported by a wide range of Internet-related corpora-
tions and public service organizations. GetNetWise had a larger agenda
than simply promulgating children's safety on the Internet; it extended to
256
YOUTH, PORNOGRAPHY, AND THE INTERNET
promoting how families could enjoy the Internet together, as well. Get-
NetWise launched a major Web site designed to be the focal point on the
Web for all Internet public interest information. GetNetWise.org still is in
operation today, although the initial publicity campaign surrounding its
launch in mid-l999 has diminished, as has awareness of the initiative.
Overall, despite the significant amount of energy and resources ex-
pended to produce the PSAs for AmericaLinksUp and to launch the Web
site and public relations campaign for GetNetWise, there is little evidence
that either of these industry initiatives has had a major impact on dimin-
ishing the safety problems presented by the Internet for children. If any
conclusion can be drawn from the programs, it is that, while they do offer
value (although that is difficult to measure) by raising people's aware-
ness, it is difficult to sustain interest among industry participants over
any extended period of time. For such campaigns to be most effective,
companies must believe it is in their commercial interest to finance them
(i.e., there must be a threat of some harm, such as potential governmental
regulation or loss of revenues, or some promise of benefit, such as greater
public awareness of their concerns for the welfare of children). To truly
make a difference, public awareness campaigns must be funded on an
ongoing basis and be part of a multifaceted umbrella program that makes
Internet safety the responsibility of all key stakeholders in promoting
children's safety on the Internet.
Another possibility is that strategies, along the lines of current cam-
paigns to discourage drug and tobacco use among children, could be
designed to discourage children from seeking out sexually explicit mate-
rials. Such strategies are likely to be controversial, in the sense that they
would call public attention to sexually explicit materials. Moreover, most
of the literature suggests that health communication campaigns, such as
anti-smoking and anti-drug media campaigns, are least effective when
they are not conducted in concert and coordination with appropriate com-
munity-based supports.40
10.11 FINDINGS AND OBSERVATIONS ABOUT SOCIAL
AND EDUCATIONAL STRATEGIES
1. Social and educational strategies directly address the nurturing of
character and the development of responsible choice. Because such strat-
egies locate control in the hands of the youth targeted children mav make
40Thomas E. Backer and Everett M. Rogers, eds. 1993. Organizational Aspects of Health
Communication Campaigns: What Works?, Sage, Newbury Park, Calif.
SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL STRATEGIES
257
mistakes as they learn to internalize the object of these lessons. But ex-
plaining why certain actions were mistaken will help children to learn the
lessons that parents and other adults hope that they will learn.
2. Though education is difficult and time-consuming, many aspects
of Internet safety education have been successful in the past several years.
While it is true that Internet safety education, acceptable use policies, and
even parental guidance and counseling are unlikely to change the desire
of many adolescent boys to seek out sexually explicit materials, parents
are more aware of some of the other dangers (such as meeting strangers
face-to-face) and know more about how to protect their kids then ever
before. (This is true even though more needs to be done in this area.)
Children are better educated about how to sense whether the person on
the other end of an instant message is "for real." Many of them have
developed strategies for coping, and children with such strategies in-
creasingly understand the rules of the game better than many parents.
Little of this was true 5 years ago.
3. Social and educational strategies are generally not inexpensive,
and they require tending and implementation. Adults must be taught to
teach children how to make good choices in this area. They must be
willing to engage in sometimes-difficult conversations. And, social and
educational strategies do not provide a quick fix with a high degree of
immediate protection. Nevertheless, they are the only approach through
which ethics of responsible behavior can be cultivated and ways of cop-
ing with inappropriate material and experiences taught.
4. Social and educational strategies have relevance and applicability
far beyond the limited question of "protecting kids from porn on the
Internet." For example, social and educational strategies are relevant to
teaching children to:
· Think critically about all kinds of media messages, including those
associated with hate, racism, senseless violence, and so on;
· Conduct effective Internet searches for information and navigate
with confidence;
· Evaluate the credibility and motivation of the sources of the mes-
sages that they receive;
· Better recognize dangerous situations on the Internet;
· Make ethical and responsible choices about Internet behavior-
and about non-Internet behavior as well; and
· Cope better with exposure to upsetting and disturbing experiences
and material found on the Internet.
