We can send and receive text, pictures, complex computer documents and even voice messages - instantly. This new environment we call cyberspace has evolved with few of the same restrictions or restraints that apply to the physical space in which we live and breathe. Because Internet users can hide behind anonymous identities, many believe then can act without taking responsibility for their actions. And with instant accessibility to any type of information or entertainment imaginable without leaving home, families risk subjecting themselves to inappropriate material that can have long-term negative results. This is not just a problem for our kids, but for ourselves and our young-adult family members as well.
Many colleges now offer Internet access as part of their standard student services.
You might never walk through your city's red-light district and enter an adult video or bookstore, but you might be tempted to check out an adult Internet site when you can do it from the privacy of your home. Your child might not be allowed to purchase an adult magazine at a local convenience store, but on the Internet he can access a sexually explicit adult site in a matter of seconds. Unlike print, broadcast or cable, the Internet has no system in place to limit access to pornography, because there's no way to verify the age of the person logged in. Through the Internet, adults now have unprecedented and unrestricted access to our children. It isn't difficult to find pornography over the Internet.