Advising Congress

Q & A

Clapp

Cris Clapp serves as spokeswoman and adviser with Enough Is Enough. In her work with EIE, she educates and advises congressional staff on Internet safety issues, legislation, key findings, resources and new Internet safety tools. She works with EIE President Donna Rice Hughes to advance EIE's initiatives with industry and state and local law enforcement efforts.

QUESTION: In the mid-1990s, your boss, Donna Rice Hughes, was one of the first people to see the potential for pornography to spread on the Internet. Today, the Internet features more than 4 million pornographic Web sites, which receive 68 million hits daily. Why did this happen?

ANSWER: The Internet has transformed the way that we do business, the way we communicate, shop and express ourselves; it is no surprise that industries of all forms and functions have profited from this tremendous technology.

The Internet has had a particularly transformative effect on the pornography industry; pornography, once forbidden, has become increasingly acceptable, accessible and affordable. Today, everyone is only one click away from having an anonymous, private, virtual sexual interaction.

QUESTION: What tips would you give parents trying to protect their tech-savvy kids from exposure to graphic content on the Internet?

ANSWER: Families should keep the computer in a public area of the home, talk to children and establish open lines of communication.

Encourage your children to come to you with questions or concerns. Try to understand your child's online world. Set limits about what your child can see, listen to or buy online. Establish house Internet use "rules" through creating a family Internet use contract. Also, apply some of the Internet safety "tools," like filtering and monitoring resources that can help in your efforts.

QUESTION: The average age someone gets exposed to Internet pornography is 11. One of the largest age groups of Internet porn users is 12 to 17. What social ramifications do you think this will have down the road?

ANSWER: In her report before Congress, (Utah-based marriage and family therapist) Jill Manning noted that studies show that when a child or adolescent encounters Internet pornography, it can have lasting negative or even traumatic effects on the child's sense of security and sexuality; that it promotes the belief that superior sexual satisfaction is attainable without having affection for one's partner, thereby reinforcing the commoditization of sex and the objectification of humans; and that children who have been exposed have an increased risk for developing sexual compulsions and addictive behavior.

QUESTION: Your group has dealt with the Internet for a long time. Is there a reasonable way to keep pornographers from bombarding Internet users with what most believe to be an addictive product without violating their First Amendment rights?

ANSWER: Those concerned with free speech issues have overlooked the fact that obscenity is not protected by the First Amendment. The Supreme Court has held for almost half a century that obscenity is outside the protection intended for speech and press at the time during which the First Amendment was written.

QUESTION: Consenting adults performing. Consenting adults viewing. Take kids out of the equation. What's the problem?

ANSWER: Leading experts in the field of sexual addictions contend online sexual activity is "a hidden public health hazard exploding, in part because very few are recognizing it as such or taking it seriously."

Research reveals many systemic effects of Internet pornography that are undermining an already vulnerable culture of marriage and family.

QUESTION: Mainstream companies such as the Marriott and Hilton Hotel chains, and Adelphia Communications are making millions off pornography. When asked about it, these companies say they are simply providing a product that their customers want. Do these corporations have a social obligation to get out of the sex industry?

ANSWER: Today, a variety of fraudulent, illegal and unethical practices are used to attract new customers and eroticize attitudes that undermine public health and safety. Many believe that this profit-driven assault jeopardizes the well-being of our youth and violates the privacy of those who wish not to be exposed.

QUESTION: You've worked with members of Congress to keep kids safe on the Internet. How would you characterize Congress' efforts in this area?

ANSWER: Our government has never allowed minors unrestricted access to pornography via cable channels, phone porn services or magazine racks, but the unregulated, ever-changing nature of the Internet has made it hard to keep illegal and harmful material out of the hands of our children.

QUESTION: You advocate the use of Internet filters to keep both adults and children safe from online pornography. But many tech-savvy kids say they can easily get around filters. So why keep plugging filters when the people you hope to protect say they don't work?

ANSWER: Internet filters are an important tool for parents to use to protect their kids from online pornography, but filters are not -- by themselves -- enough.

Internet filtering tools are important because many kids are not actively seeking online pornography, yet without filtering software in place, these kids are more likely to stumble across explicit content.

QUESTION: Fast forward to 2017. What do you think the Internet will look like? And will it still be a place where minors have unfettered access to graphic images?

ANSWER: I would say that unless something dramatic happens, and we start to see increased funding for programs that tackle issues relating to obscenity or until the legislation that protects kids online is no longer held up in our courts, I fear that the situation will become much worse.

Pornography has made significant progress in its pursuit to gain mainstream acceptance, and innovations such as wireless access to the Internet will continue to extend pornography's reach and influence. We have seen the growth of a well-funded, aggressive pro-porn lobby, and we have seen successful campaigns, which have continued to protect pornographers -- of all types -- from requirements that could protect children from unintentional access to pornography. Although the technological tools that parents have on hand have become more effective, many pornographers utilize technology that keeps them one step ahead of the resources that parents utilize.

The porn industry continues to play a key role as a technology driver, and other tech columnists have suggested that emerging technologies are often adopted by the porn industry before going mainstream, and that the porn industry has begun to be embraced by business and finance leaders because the stigma that was once associated with pornography has effectively disappeared.