Report: 42% of U.S. Youth Have Seen Web Porn; 66% Weren't Seeking It

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 5, 2007 - 9:27am.

Chicago - Some 42% of U.S. youth (ages 10-17) have seen online pornography, with two-thirds saying they were not looking for porn when they encountered it, according to a new study from the University of New Hampshire in Durham published in the medical journal Pediatrics.

"Although there is evidence that most youth are not particularly upset when they encounter unwanted pornography on the Internet (it) could have a greater impact on some youth than voluntary encounters with pornography," the study said.

Most exposure resulted from teens using file-sharing programs, either accidentally or in directly seeking pornography.

The survey found that those who unwittingly encountered porn were more likely to have been interpersonally victimized online, and were more likely to suffer from depression.

The third of the survey's participants who actively sought porn online were more likely to be teens, boys, and youth who used file-sharing programs to download images, talked online to unknown persons about sex, and used the Internet at friends' homes.

The survey also found that for both groups, filtering and blocking software reduced exposure to online pornography.

"Many might say that visiting X-rated Web sites is developmentally appropriate behavior," the researchers said, while cautioning that others may deem it as undermining social values or see it as possibly leading to promiscuity or compulsive and deviant behavior.