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Online Porn: Protect Your Child

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Do you know what your kids are looking at on the Internet?

If you're not careful, they could be swept away in a flood of online pornography.

Fifteen-year-old Lee Kussmann enjoys her time on the Web. But she knows all it takes is one mistake, and she's looking at trouble.

Her sister, Lee Kussmann, also an Internet user, says "It's pretty scary when you think about it on the whole. It seems so innocent at first, but, I mean, you can get into some really dangerous stuff on the Internet.

Also an Internet user, Lisa Kussmann comments, "You say, 'I'll go look at this person's profile,' and it ends up just being appalling. I mean, you wouldn't believe the things that are on there, and then, I'm immediately clicking to get out of it."

The Kussmann sisters didn't go on the Web looking for pornography. It found them.

And they're not alone.

A recent report in the journal, Pediatrics, found millions of children are exposed to unwanted Internet porn. It was not their choice.

Of those exposed to the material, 66 percent said it was accidental, such as misspelling a Web address, pop-up ads or Spam emails.

Some experts believe the percentages are even higher.

Steve Kussmann, the father of Lisa and Lee, believes that the Internet is a wonderful tool for education, but he also believes that there is a dark side to the Internet to which one must really be aware and guarded.

Pornography is rampant in cyberspace, where typing one wrong word in a search engine can bring up millions of sites.

As president of Enough Is Enough, Donna Rice Hughes helps lead the fight for Internet safety, and says, "The problem has gotten worse. It hasn't gotten any better."

Hughes declares "Much of it, even though it's a multi-billion dollar industry, is available for free. The pornographers put free pictures on their home pages, and they often trick people, including kids, into getting there."

Enough Is Enough lobbies Congress to pass new laws to protect families, but its primary focus is to empower parents.

Parents need help.

Hughes says that a majority of moms and dads are not implementing any safety rules, and only about half take advantage of free parental controls and filtering systems.

Enough Is Enough hopes to change this through its "Rules 'N Tools" Program.

"One of the main safety rules parents are encouraged to follow is to keep the computer in an open, main area of the home, like here in this family room, says Hughes. "In this way, parents can more closely monitor where their kids are navigating online.

Other rules include:

- Find out if children are using computers and devices outside the home to access the Internet.

- Know all of your child's information, including passwords, screen names and online friends.

- Keep the lines of communication open.

"Spend time with them," exhorts Hughes. "Ask the right questions. That's very importatn, and don't just assume that because you're a good parent and you have a good child that your kid is safe. That is not the case."

But Hughes says rules are not enough.

She recomments that parents use tools, such as American Online filtering, which is free -- even for those who are not AOL users.

The new Microsoft Windows Vista system also features free parental controls.

With Vista, you can block Websites, set time limits and review activity reports that show where your kids have been surfing.

Cameron Abbot, a Microsoft Vista user, says "It's nice to know we have the capabilities of using parental controls so that if my daughter is on the computer, her friends are on the computer, that we can monitor what Websites and what she's accessing on the computer.

Enough Is Enough believes it's critical that parents act now... before it's too late.

Hughes asserts, "There's a new breed of sexual predator, and you'll be surprised as to who it is. It's our kids. Teens and kids who have gotten hooked on Internet pornography are now beginning to sexually exploit and abuse other kids and younger kids."

"We are concerned about her childhood being robbed from her by these kinds of intrustions," says Steve Kussmann regarding his daughter's Internet use.

The Kussmans took many of these steps to protect their family.

Internet safety experts hope families accross America will do the same.