Parents: Be careful that the toys you buy for your child this Christmas don’t have unlimited Internet access, or he/she could easily (an innocently) view pornography.
Wireless handheld devices, such as video cell phones, iPods, iPhones, PDAs, and PlayStations and other video game consoles are now conduits for all the good stuff–and all the pornography–available on the Internet.
The Religious Alliance Against Pornography and the National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families, of which the LDS Church is a member, has sent a strongly-worded warning letter to congregations across the United States. Here are key points from their warning:
- Lots of wireless gadgets are commonly put in the hands of children and youth and many of these devices are capable of accessing anything on the Internet.
- Don’t expect government or the wireless industry to protect your children. Companies are just now developing filters for wireless devices, and only T-Mobile, AT&T and Alltel provide any kind of Internet blocking tool.
- Wireless companies do not intend to warn parents at the time of purchase about the dangers of Internet pornography.
“Let’s be very clear. Wireless technology is not the enemy. Rather, the danger lies in the perverse misuse of the technology and the fact that safeguards are limited in both availability and reliability.”
The letter warns that every child will be impacted directly or indirectly because:
“Pornographers are continually on the offensive and are determined to seduce those not seeking pornography and force their immorality on us. They have learned how to manipulate innocent people from good sites to pornographic sites.
“Every child will have some peers or friends of peers that are plugged into the Internet through a wireless device (video mobile phone, PDA, video iPod, iPhone, PlayStation).
“Pornographic material is powerfully addictive and because those peers who will be impacted, will talk about it, and will offer access to the material.
“Young people and children are often more computer literate than their parents and grandparents and are inquisitive about sexual things.
“Children and youth are already putting pressure on their parents to have video mobile phones, etc. that can access the Internet. That pressure will increase significantly as the video mobile phone industry explodes. Within a matter of months almost every mobile phone will have Internet and picture capacity and we know that the wireless industry will produce a massive advertising campaign because they make their large profits through monthly Internet fees. Peer pressure to not be left behind will intensify.
“If your children don’t succeed with you in getting the Internet, some of their friends or peers will succeed with their parents. When they discover pornographic material, including its addictive nature and how it impacts their hormones, they will share it with others. Knowledge is power and they will become an ‘In Group’.
“When (not if) your child sees that material, because you have trained them in the Christian faith, he/she will likely be attracted and repulsed at the same time. Often the revulsion will wane and the titillation will come back and make it more difficult to say, ‘No’ consistently over a long period of time.”
Read more excerpts from the letter in the Church News of November 17, 2007.
For more information, see the National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families or my previous blogs on wise/safe use of the Internet.
Parents,
In order to connect this wireless toy to the internet you must have a wireless computer (or router). Visit http://www.opendns.com and follow instructions there to make your computer/router use their DNS (Domain Name Service – which translates names i.e., http://www.lds.com into internet addresses). Your use of their DNS can be configured to block p*rn and a list of other questionable locations. It even allows you to whitelist (mark as good) sites you deem as acceptable. I am NOT affiliated with opendns, but use it in my household.
You can install free website filtering software on windows computers from http://www.getk9.com.
As above, I am not affiliated with this company but I tell everyone about it because it’s the best I have ever used and I have it on all my home computers.
P.S.
The reference above to PlayStation should probably read “PlayStation Portable or PSP”.
Daylan and Mark are right about filtering computers. Not so easy with mobile phones and gaming stations.
I thought you might be interested in these clips from CBS 7 in Midland/Odessa, Texas. I have also added a link to an article in LDS Living Magazine online. Click on the video to the right of each page.
Growing desire Part 1 http://www.cbs7.com/video/index.asp?ID=2802
Growing desire Part 2 http://www.cbs7.com/video/index.asp?ID=2817
LDS Living http://ldslivingmagazine.com/articles/show/1133
Stephen C. Schultz
Partner
Oxbow Academy
801-491-2270
I have heard for a while that Matthew Kennedy from LDS Living magazine got his under graduate at BYU (Brigham Young University) and then went to Harvard Business School for his MBA. Several times I have heard him joke about being uneducated. I was at his home recently and in his office there was a Harvard MBA hanging on his wall. I read it closely, and then asked him why he never tells anyone that he went to Harvard…he said “does it really matter after all.” His dad went to Harvard and so did hi cousins. Matthew Kennedy’s LDS Living magazine was in the Boston Globe articles about helping Mitt Romney run for President.
Matt Kennedy isn’t what he appears to be.
1. He drinks. His preferred beer is Budweiser in bottles.
2. He loves to gamble, and since he has money, he doesn’t worry much about losing.
3. He makes his living off of the LDS community while continually making derogatory comments about “Stupid Mormons.”
There is some confusion!! Matthew Kennedy from Harvard is working at the White House. He is not the same Kennedy as LDS Living. The Kennedy who gambles and drinks is not the same guy. The harvard Matthew Kennedy is not the BYU Matthew Kennedy. The to complicate things more the Church News just did a story on another Matthew J. Kennedy… Mixed UP !!!
Matthew J. Kennedy – White House staffer is from Harvard
Matthew J. Kennedy – LDS Living is from BYU & a non-member twin named Mark in PHX.
Uh… Yeah …. a little mixed up!! Matthew Kennedy from Utah is not your Vegas guy… and sorry