Internet Pornography Ban

The Internet has enjoyed explosive growth in recent years, as people worldwide go online in search of information, entertainment, and commerce. No business has benefited more from the online craze than purveyors of pornography. The anonymity of using the Internet has made it the medium of choice for consumers of adult material. The pervasiveness of pornography in cyberspace has prompted many American lawmakers to call for limitations or even an outright ban of such material. In this paper, I will argue that any attempts to ban pornography on the Internet are unwise, unworkable, and unconstitutional.

Those who would censor pornography on the Internet cite several reasons. First and foremost, they want to protect children, who will be harmed by continued exposure to pornography at a young age. Proponents of the Communications Decency Act (CDA), a law that regulated indecent material on the Internet but which the Supreme Court invalidated in 1997, argued that no parent, even the most liberal parent, wants their child exposed to this material at too young of an age. Children are too young to understand such material, and overexposure may condition them to associate explicit photographs with stimulation. As a result, they may be unable to form normal, healthy relationships as adults (Enough Is Enough 6).

I agree that children should not be exposed to pornographic material. Sexual images are simply too provocative and confusing for a child, and they impair the natural

Related Essays

Against Banning of Pornography on the Internet .... The censors argue that a .... on Internet pornography is the only effective means to keep children from downloading and viewing sexually explicit photographs. .... (1808 7 )

US and War on Drugs .... Question 2. Should the government .... cyber porn on the Internet? Before any discussion of a government .... on pornography or cyber porn, it is necessary to .... (811 3 )

The Internet and Sexual Content .... many of these Internet services but would .... the services .... In France, two Internet managers were arrested for not stopping child pornography from traveling .... (6631 27 )

Reno vs. American Civil Liberties Union .... category of protected speech from most parts of the Internet. .... It is argued that child pornography and obscenity have .... and the Government can completely .... them .... (1701 7 )

Feminism and Pornography .... Adelman, Ronald W. The Constitutionality of Congressional Efforts to .... Computer-Generated Child Pornography .... Child Pornography on the Internet: Hearings .... (3925 16 )

tting entry. How were they to do this? The government assumed that they would install software that required a credit card number for entry, assuming that only someone of legal age would have a credit card. The fallacy in that supposition is apparent immediately. Children can steal their parents' credit card numbers, or if children really are that technically proficient, then bypassing such a requirement would be no problem. (Curious that the anti-pornography forces put so much faith in this software when they have so little faith in the blocking software.) The government assumed that parents would discover their credit card is being used improperly when their bill arrives. However, there are many free adult sites on the Internet. They could take the credit card number to allow entry, and then never charge it. Talk about a false sense of security for the parents. Such a system also would slow the growth of the Internet. We all agree that the Internet offers enormous benefits, with even more on the way. Restrictions threaten that expansion. Web site operators could become so skittish that every web site would require age verification to enter. Many individuals might simply give up, either because of the inconvenience

Category: Science - I