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Internet Safety
Protect Your Children from the Internet's Seamy Side By Pamela Dillon
"Unfortunately, what we're noticing is a downward trend in the first age of exposure to pornography on the Internet from an average of 11 to age 8, says Jack Samad, vice president of Internet safety with the National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families. "These cyberpunks clone frequently visited sites because they want to desensitize children to the negative effects of pornography." If a parent walks in on a child and finds an inappropriate site on the screen, they shouldn't jump to conclusions. According to Samad, 80 percent of hits on adult sites by children are accidental.
"We are losing the battle rapidly, especially with the advent of broadband communications," says Samard. "Cybersquatters are sending out spam in the form of 30-second promotion videos of X-rated movies." (He added that parents should be on the lookout for .mpeg or .jpeg attachments.) The NCPCF has recently released an interactive Web site for parents, Filter Review, which reviews about 30 companies and gives parents specific recommendations for certain age groups.