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SALT LAKE CITY -- Parents might need to pay extra attention to what's popping up on their children's new tech toys. Experts say in this age of new technology, kids could find porn on mobile devices like smartphones and iPads.
The purveyors of adult content are more aggressive than anyone else and they know where the youth are.
–Ken Knapton
Students waiting for a TRAX train after school last Friday say parents don't need to worry.
"Somebody would have to be really dedicated to find porn on their mobile phone," said a 15-year-old high school boy. "And they'd have to be really desperate."
"I don't think it's really out there as much as it's proclaimed it is," said a female classmate.
But one high schooler in the crowd said finding porn on a mobile device is easier than you might think.
"Theoretically you can just do a Google search," said the 16-year-old boy. "Like iPhones, you can get the Internet."
That's precisely what worries tech experts who say youth are accessing the Web on their mobile devices.
Somebody would have to be really dedicated to find porn on their mobile phone. And they'd have to be really desperate.
–High school student
"People are always trying to get their content in front of our children," said Ken Knapton, author of Cyber Safety: Maintaining Morality in a Digital World. "The purveyors of adult content are more aggressive than anyone else and they know where the youth are."
Knapton says those groups are aggressively marketing porn on mobile devices.
"They have iPods, they have iPads, they have i[pod]Touches," said Knapton. "Children are at least being exposed to content on those devices."
Knapton also explains that most kids may not tell their parents about finding porn on their mobile devices even if they're not looking for it.
"Most of the exposure for teenagers is going to happen when they're doing their homework," explained Knapton. "They're afraid that their parents will have a knee-jerk reaction and just take the device away completely."
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Whether they access porn or not depends on the mobile device kids are using. Knapton said any cell phone with a data plan acts as a mini-personal computer.
"Speaking specifically about mobile devices, the filtering technology is still weak in this area," explained Knapton. "There are some filters that you can put on an iPad, for example, or an i[pod]Touch."
Knapton suggested parents research what filters are available for their kids' mobile devices.
"It may not be readily accessible through the App store," said Knapton. "There may be other ways for them [parents] to get[filters] on there."
Knapton says an even easier solution is for parents to sit down with their children and talk to them about what they're accessing on their smartphones and other mobile devices.
"How are they using their devices? What are they seeing?" explained Knapton. "They need to spot-check the device, grab the cell phone, and go through the text messages, go through the pictures that are on there."
Statistics tell a compelling story, according to Knapton.
"There was a recent study that came out that said, after kids go to bed, they will send an average of 34 text messages," said Knapton. "Young men are more apt to be playing games and going online after going to bed, whereas the young women are more apt to be sending text messages."
Knapton suggested parents keep these mobile devices out of their kids' bedrooms. Despite an anti-porn stance from Apple and Microsoft, Knapton said any device with a web browser still has the possibility of exposing your kids to inappropriate content on that device.
E-mail: niyamba@ksl.com
