Contact: Alex Coffin at 704-364-2049, alexcoffin@mindspring.com; Palmer Holt at 704-663-3303, palmer@infinityconcepts.net; Download news release and complete media kit at www.integrity.com/media.html  

MEDIA ADVISORY, Feb. 20 /Standard Newswire/ -- Your news or talk show may be planning to cover the topic of exposure of children to Internet pornography, based on the recent study in "Pediatrics," which reported that 42 percent of Internet users ages 10 to 17 had been seen online porn. Of those, 66 percent said the exposure was unwanted!

Abstract available at: "Pediatrics" journal.

Exposure of children to Internet pornography is an important general interest topic, but it also can be of interest to family, parenting, health, computing, religion, youth and teen beats.

Photo: C. "Skip" Mathews; hi-resolution version

If you are planning to interview a guest or a panelist on this issue – either near-term or in the future – please consider interviewing C. "Skip" Mathews, president of Integrity Online, the nation's largest and oldest Internet filter solutions provider.

A veteran subject-matter expert, Mathews says the percentages of children exposed to Internet pornography are even higher than the "Pediatrics" study indicated, because rapidly changing technologies and newer channels make the data outdated, other studies show greater exposure rates, and the company's experience says otherwise.

"The study data is only two years old, but that should be looked at like 'dog years' in Internet time," said Mathews.

"Think about the rapid transition to high-speed Internet access from dial-up, and how the volume of page views is increasing exponentially. Rapidly advancing technologies, such as iPods, the latest cell phones and Internet-ready gaming devices, have created even more channels for pornography to reach kids. Increasingly popular social web sites, like MySpace.com and Facebook, are also fertile ground for pornography."

Plus, children and teens often don't respond openly and honestly to researchers, especially discussing something as uncomfortable as pornography, said Mathews.

"I've been the father of three teenage boys, so I know what the realities and challenges are," he said.

The "Pediatrics" study recommended that parents become more educated and get state-of-the-art Internet filters.

"Unfortunately, even though 48 percent of parents use some type of parental controls, as the study indicates, many have been lulled into a false sense of security and think their children are protected, when they are not," said Mathews.

"Children and teens often are far ahead of parents in knowing how to get around out-dated and inadequate blocks," he said. "A firewall is not a filter. And, besides, would a responsible parent want the same cable company trying to sell them the 'Playboy' channel to make moral decisions about what their child can see on the Internet via that company's filter?"

The latest Internet filters, using artificial intelligence technology, analyze Internet information 600 different ways, identifying and eliminating inappropriate and obscene content before it reaches Internet users, according to Mathews.