Thirty years ago, the hottest high-tech communications and entertainment toys were princess phones and portable record players. Neither of these were inherently dangerous; unless of course you tried toting your record player on your handle bars.
The Department of Justice has yet to prosecute a single obscenity case dealing with Internet pornography.
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These days, kids everywhere are clamoring for iPods, camera and video phones, and portable multimedia devices such as PlayStation. They can't wait to get their hands on these remarkable little gadgets which allow them to play their favorite music, videos, and games, as well as talk on the phone, take pictures, and access the Internet—anytime, from anywhere.
Unfortunately, pornographers are pretty excited about these gadgets too.
Finding pornography on devices marketed to teens and kids is shocking but not surprising. The pornography industry has been targeting kids from the very beginning.
The U.S. Attorney General's Commission on Pornography determined in the mid-1980s that children ages 12-17 were the primary consumers of pornography. That sad fact hasn't changed in the last 20 years.
If you think this isn't important or doesn't apply to your situation, think again. Wireless companies in Europe and Asia—ahead of the U.S. technology curve—have already been featuring and profiting from mobile pornography for several years. Some believe that more than half of their revenues come from pornographic content. Many American technology experts predict we are heading that same direction.
Thankfully, U.S. wireless companies haven't yet embraced pornography with the same gusto. Earlier this month, the Cellular Telecommunication Industry Association (CTIA), which represents 93 percent of the cell phone market, released content guidelines designed to keep "adult" material out of the hands of children.
These guidelines are meant to provide control for parents who wish to turn off certain features, such as access to the Internet. The cell phones companies also agree to develop Internet filters who wish to allow their kids to access the Internet but not have access to harmful material. However, these filters haven't been developed yet.
One other concern about this advanced technology is that no one knows for certain which laws apply to wireless devices, such as cell phones, iPods, and portable PlayStations. Many believe the FCC has jurisdiction, since a wireless signal uses public airwaves. But the FCC has yet to develop guidelines for this emerging technology.
Complicating matters, the Department of Justice has yet to prosecute a single obscenity case dealing with Internet pornography. Will it more readily investigate obscenity on portable wireless devices? That remains to be seen, but without active law enforcement, we are likely to see the same proliferation of pornography on these new technologies as happened with the Internet.
