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CNN Live Today
Porn Click Away for Children
Aired May 02, 2002 - 12:45 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Now to pornography in your home: If you have a home computer in your house, then, like it or not, pornographic pictures are just a click away, a click away for you and for your children.
A report out today -- as Jonathan Aiken reports, that report offers no easy solutions.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JONATHAN AIKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When it comes to protecting their own from what is out there online, Matt and Susan (ph) Matyuf are pretty sure they are doing it right: limiting their children's access to the Web, keeping their computer in open view.
MATTHEW MATYUF, FATHER: And primarily just looking over their shoulders: "Where you at? Where are you going? What's this?"
AIKEN: This is not an ad for the company that owns CNN, but the Matyufs use AOL because they say it's kid-friendly and its filtering systems give them a measure of parental control.
But a two-year study by the National Academy of Sciences found those filters, while helpful, offer no guarantee, and never will, that the technology will always work. There just is no magic answer.
JOHN RABUN, NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING AND EXPLOITED CHILDREN: I think where we have seen serious problems is when, either in public policy or technology or law, we've tried to do the simple fix. And we can't find a simple fix.
ANISCIA MATYUF, 13 YEARS OLD: This, this is a football scar.
AIKEN: Thirteen-year-old Aniscia gets an hour online each day, much of it spent sending instant messages to friends.
A. MATYUF: Let's see what he has to say.
AIKEN: But a harmless check of e-mail could expose her to messages any parent would consider offensive.
A. MATYUF: One of them was like, "See, live nude males." And I was like, "What is this garbage?"
AIKEN (on camera): Really?
A. MATYUF: Yes.
AIKEN: So, that's pretty gross, but you don't know where it comes from.
A. MATYUF: Yes, I didn't. I've never been on a porno site or anything.
AIKEN (voice-over): The whole point is, she doesn't have to. Type in the name of the Canadian rock band Barenaked Ladies and her cousin Jason will tell you, there is no guarantee where you will wind up.
JASON STURMER, 15 YEARS OLD: I know if I look up something on Barenaked Ladies, something is going to pop up and you're going to see some real bare naked lady.
AIKEN (on camera): Really?
STURMER: You just have to expect it and just ignore it.
AIKEN (voice-over): The report says education and legislation can help, but it all starts in the home.
IRIS BECKWITH, CHILDHELP USA: Really, what the children want is, they want limits. They want the parents to be parents. So that, I think, is key.
AIKEN: And while the Matyuf children may chafe at the restrictions placed on them...
(on camera): Do your parents ever tell, like, you'll thank them when you get older?
A. MATYUF: Yes. Yes.
AIKEN: What do you think?
A. MATYUF: A lot.
AIKEN (voice-over): They would probably say that's why they're doing it to begin with.
Jonathan Aiken, CNN, Sterling, Virginia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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