Archive of Statistics on Internet Dangers
INTERNET PORNOGRAPHY
- Two in five Internet users visited an adult site in August of 2005, according to tracking by comScore Media Metrix.
- 87% of university students polled have virtual sex mainly using Instant Messenger, webcam, and telephone ("CampusKiss and Tell" University and College Sex Survey. Released on February 14, 2006. CampusKiss.com. February 17, 2006 http://www.campuskiss.com/defa...rvey=show&homepage=true ).
- According to comScore Media Metrix, there were 63.4 million unique visitors to adult websites in December of 2005, reaching 37.2% of the Internet audience.
- By the end of 2004, there were 420 million pages of pornography, and it is believed that the majority of these websites are owned by less than 50 companies (LaRue, Jan. "Obscenity and the First Amendment." Summit on Pornography. Rayburn House Office Building. Room 2322. May 19, 2005).
- The pornography industry generates $12 billion dollars in annual revenue - larger than the combined annual revenues of ABC, NBC, and CBS. Of that, the Internet pornography industry generates $2.5 billion dollars in annual revenue. (Pornography Statistics. Family Safe Media. January 10, 2006. >http://www.familysafemedia.com/pornography_statistics.html).
- According to comScore Media Metrix, Internet users viewed over 15 billion pages of adult content in August 2005.
- According to comScore Media Metrix, Internet users spent an average of 14.6 minutes per day viewing adult content online.
- Sex is the #1 searched for topic on the Internet. (Dr. Robert Weiss, Sexual Recovery Institute, Washington Times 1/26/2000)
- 60% of all web-site visits are sexual in nature. (MSNBC/Standford/Duquesne Study, Washington Times, 1/26/2000)
- 58% of the public surveyed believed that "the government should be able to restrict the posting of sexually explicit materials on the Internet, even though those same materials can be legally published in books and magazines." (State of the First Amendment Study, First Amendment Center, Freedom Forum, 2000)
- There are 1.3 million porn websites (N2H2, 9/23/03).
- Pornographic web pages now top 260 million and growing at an unprecedented rate (N2H2, 9/23/03).
- According to the Florida Family Association, PornCrawler, their specialized software program, identified 20 U.S. companies that accounted for more than 70 percent of 297 million porn links on the Internet.
- According to comScore Media Metrix, 71.9 million people visited adult sites in August 2005, reaching 42.7 percent of the Internet audience.
- More than 32 million unique individuals visited a porn site in Sept. of 2003. Nearly 22.8 million of them were male (71 percent), while 9.4 million adult site visitors were female (29 percent) (Nielsen/Net Ratings, Sept. 2003).
- N2H2's database contained 14 million identified pages of pornography in 1998, so the growth to 260 million represents an almost 20-fold increase in just five years (N2H2, 9/23/03).
- The cybersex industry generates approximately $1 billion annually and is expected to grow to $5-7 billion over the next 5 years, barring unforeseen change (National Research Council Report, 2002).
- The total porn industry - estimates from $4 billion to $10 billion (National Research Council Report, 2002).
- The two largest individual buyers of bandwidth are U.S. firms in the adult online industry (National Research Council Report, 3-1, 2002).
- 40,000 expired domain names were porn-napped (National Research Council).
- Commercial pornography sites:
- 74 percent display free teaser porn images on the homepage, often porn banner ads.
- 66 percent did not include a warning of adult content.
- 11 percent included such a warning but did not have sexually explicit content on the homepage.
- 25 percent prevented users from exiting the site (mousetrapping).
- Only 3 percent required adult verification.
(Child-Proofing on the World Wide Web: A Survey of Adult Webservers, 2001, Jurimetrics. National Research Council Report, 2002).
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CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
- The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children revealed, in a June 2005 study, that 40% of arrested child pornography possessors had both sexually victimized children and were in possession of child pornography (also known as "dual offenders"). Both crimes were discovered in the same investigation. Another 15% were "dual offenders" who tried to victimize children by soliciting undercover investigators who posed as minors online. Overall 36% of "dual offenders" showed or gave child pornography to identified victims or undercover investigators posing as minors online. Of those arrested in the U.S. for the possession of child pornography between 2000 and 2001, 83% had images involving children between ages 6 and 12; 39% had images involving children between ages 3 and 5; and 19% had images of infants and toddlers under age 3 (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Child Pornography Possessors Arrested in Internet-Related Crimes: Findings from the National Juvenile Online Victimization Study. Virginia: National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, 2005).
- According to a National Children's Homes report, the number of Internet child pornography images has increased 1500% since 1988. Approximately 20% of all Internet pornography involves children (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Internet Sex Crimes Against Minors: The Response of Law Enforcement. Virginia: National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, 2003).
- According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), child pornography reports increased 39% in 2004. Ernie Allen, president and CEO of NCMEC, states that the statistics show a significant and steady increase in child pornography reports for the seventh year. More than 20,000 images of child pornography are posted on the Internet every week (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, 10/8/03). More babies and toddlers are appearing on the net and the abuse is getting worse. It is more torturous and sadistic than it was before. The typical age of children is between six and 12, but the profile is getting younger (Prof. Max Taylor, Combating Pedophile Information Networks in Europe, March 2003).
- 345% increase in child pornography sites between 2/2001-7/2001. (N2H2 press release, 8/01)
- N2H2 reported 403 child porn sites, or 67 per month, for the six months of April to September 2000. Child porn sites rose dramatically for the six months of February to July 2001 to 1,391 or 231 per month. That's an increase of 345% at the rate of about 8 per day. (N2H2 Filtering Service Press Release, 8/8/01)
- 50 percent of those questioned for the Pew Internet and American Life survey ranked child pornography as the Internet crime that concerns them most. (The Pew Internet and American Life Project Survey conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates, 4/2/01)
- 140,000 child pornography images were posted to the Internet according to researchers who monitored the Internet over six weeks. Twenty children were estimated to have been abused for the first time and more than 1,000 images of each child created (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, 10/8/03).
- More than half of all illegal sites reported to the Internet Watch Foundation are hosted in the United States. Illegal sites in Russia have more than doubled from 286 to 706 in 2002 (National Criminal Intelligence Service, 8/21/03).
- Demand for pornographic images of babies and toddlers on the Internet is soaring (Prof. Max Taylor, Combating Paedophile Information Networks in Europe, March 2003).
- Approximately 20 new children appear on the porn sites every month - many kidnapped or sold into sex (Combating Paedophile Information Networks in Europe, March 2003).
- In the last couple of years, we've just seen such young children on regular seizures - babies, 2-, 3-, 4-year-olds (Det. Sgt. Paul Gillespie, Toronto Police Force).
- The U.S. Customs Service estimates that there are more than 100,000 Web sites offering child pornography - which is illegal worldwide. Revenue estimates for the industry range from about $200 million to more than $1 billion per year. These unlawful sexual images can be purchased as easily as shopping at Amazon.com. "Subscribers" typically use credit cards to pay a monthly fee of between $30 and $50 to download photos and videos, or a one-time fee of a few dollars for single images. (Red Herring Magazine, 1/18/02).
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CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE
- A New Zealand Internal Affairs study suggests that there is an association between viewing child pornography and committing child sexual abuse (New Zealand's Department of Internal Affairs. Internet Traders of Child Pornography: Profiling Research. By Caroline Sullivan. October 2005. January 10, 2006. < http://www.dia.govt.nz/pubform...le/Profilingupdate2.pdf>).
- A study of The American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that one in six men reported being sexually abused as children. Almost 40 percent of the perpetrators were female (Long-Term Consequences of Childhood Sexual Abuse by Gender of Victim. Volume 28, Issue 5. The American Journal of Preventive Medicine. June 2005).
- One in four women reported childhood sexual abuse and in most cases perpetrated by males (Long-Term Consequences of Childhood Sexual Abuse by Gender of Victim. Volume 28, Issue 5. The American Journal of Preventive Medicine. June 2005).
- According to Interpol, the international police organization, as many as one in 1,000 men has a sexual interest in children.
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MOBILE PORNOGRAPHY
- One-third of youth ages 11 to 17 have their own cell phones today; it is expected that half will have them within the next two years (English, Bella. "The Secret Life of Boys: Pornography is a Mouse Click Away, and Kids Are Being Exposed To It In Ever-Increasing Numbers." <http://www.boston.com/ae/media...12/the_secret_life_of_boys/)>>
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ONLINE SEXUAL PREDATORS
- Internet pedophiles are increasingly adopting counter-intelligence techniques to protect themselves from being traced (National Criminal Intelligence Service, 8/21/03).
- Forty percent of people charged with child pornography also sexually abuse children, police say. But finding the predators and identifying the victims are daunting tasks (Reuters, 2003).
- One in five children who use computer chatrooms has been approached over the Internet by pedophiles. (Detective Chief Superintendent Keith Akerman, Telegraph.co.uk January 2002).
- 13 million youth use Instant Messaging. (Pew Study reported in JAMA, 6/01).
- 1 in 5 received sexual solicitation or approach in last year. (Online Victimization, NCMEC, June 2000).
- 1 in 33 received AGGRESSIVE sexual solicitation (asked to meet, called them via phone, sent mail, money or gifts). (Online Victimization, NCMEC, June 2000)
- 25% of youth who received sexual solicitation told a parent. (Online Victimization, NCMEC, June 2000).
- 1 in 4 kids participate in Real Time Chat. (FamilyPC Survey, 2000).
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YOUTH
*About 2 out of 3 (63%) 15- to 17- year olds say they favor the Children's Internet Protection Act. (The Kaiser Family Foundation in consultation with International Communications Research, 2001)
*The survey found that 90% of teens and young adults have gone online, and that half (49%) of those online plug in once a day or more. Three out of four young people (74%) have access at home, and nearly one in three (31%) has access from their own bedroom. (The Kaiser Family Foundation in consultation with International Communications Research, 2001)
*Parents rely mostly on personal observation and setting guidelines for their children's Internet access. One in two parents do not use any blocking or filtering software. (FamilyPC Survey, August, 2001)
*34% of adults (in July 2000) who have children participating in "real-time" chats were most likely to use technology to monitor where my children chat. (FamilyPC Survey, August, 2001)
*26 popular children's characters, such as Pokemon, My Little Pony and Action Man, revealed thousands of links to porn sites. 30% were hard-core. (Envisional 2000)
*Students were most at risk for cybersex compulsions due to a combination of increased access to computers, more private leisure time, & developmental stage characterized by increased sexual awareness & experimentation. Both computer classes & colleges might need to recognize this increased vulnerability and institute new primary prevention strategies. (MSNBC/Stanford/Duquesne Study, 2000)
*Children are reported missing at the rate of 750,000 per year, 62,500 per month, 14,423, per week, 2,054 per day, and 85 per hour or 3 children every 2 minutes. (NCMEC Online Victimization: A report on the nation's Youth April 3, 2000)
*44 percent of children polled have visited x-rated sites or sites with sexual content. Moreover, 43 percent of children said they do not have rules about Internet use in their homes. (Time/CNN Poll, 2000)
*11/98 - 11-year-old Josh had been looking at graphic violent porn on the Internet for 20 minutes immediately before stabbing 8-year-old Maddie Clifton to death. (Dangerous Access, 2000)
*6/29/98 - 13-year-old (boy) was in the Phoenix Burton Barr Library viewing porn on the Internet. He followed a 4-year-old into the bathroom and asked the younger boy to give him oral sex. (Dangerous Access, 2000)
*While 75% of parents say they know where children spend time online, the truth about kids' Internet habits show 58% of teens say they have accessed an objectionable Web site: 39 % offensive music, 25% sexual content and 20% violence. (Source: WebSense, USA Today, 10/10-12/99)
*Pornographers disguise their sites (i.e. "stealth" sites) with common brand names, including Disney, Barbie, ESPN, etc., to entrap children. (Cyveillance Study, March 1999)
*62% of parents of teenagers are unaware that their children have accessed objectionable Websites (Source: Yankelovich Partners Study, September 1999)
*The majority of teenagers' online use occurs at home, right after school, when working parents are not at home. (Arbitron New Media Study, October 1999)
- Nearly all young people have used a computer (98%) and gone online (96%). They spend an average of just over one hour each day using a computer outside of schoolwork (1:02), including about 48 minutes online. In a typical day, just over half (54%) of all young people use a computer for recreation (compared to 85% who listen to music and 81% who watch TV) (Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8-18 Year-Olds. Victoria Rideout, Donald F. Roberts, Ulla G. Foehr. March 2005. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. 17 November 2006 <http://www.kff.org/entmedia/upload/Generation-M-Media-in-the-Lives-of-8-18-Year-olds-Report.pdf>).
- In a typical day, just over half (54%) of all young people use a computer for recreation (The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation Study, March 2005).
- A study by the NOP Research Group found that of the four million children aged seven to 17 who surf the net, 29% percent would freely give out their home address and 14% would freely give out their e-mail address if asked. (Telegraph.co.uk January 2002)
- The Kaiser Family Foundation's study on teens' use of the Internet for health information has some shocking findings:
- Pornography and Internet Filtering Among all 15-24 year-olds:
- Two-thirds (67%) support the law requiring Internet filters at schools and libraries.
- Two out of three (65%) say being exposed to online pornography could have a serious impact on those under 18.
- A majority (59%) think seeing pornography on the Internet encourages young people to have sex before they're ready.
- Among the 95% of all 15-17 year-olds who have ever gone online:
- Seventy percent have accidentally stumbled across pornography online, 23% "very" or "somewhat" often.
- A majority (55%) of those who were exposed to pornography say they were "not too" or "not at all" upset by it, while 45% were "very" or "somewhat" upset.
- A third (33%) of those with home Internet access have a filtering technology in place there. Among the 76% of all 15-17 year-olds who have sought health information online:
*-*Nearly half (46%) say they have been blocked from non-pornographic sites by filtering technology.
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ADULTS
- 32 million women had visited at least one pornography website in one month of 2004 alone (Paul, Pamela. Pornified: How Pornography is Transforming Our Lives, Our Relationships, and Our Families. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2005).
- 41% of women said they had deliberately viewed or downloaded pornographic pictures and movies (Paul, Pamela. Pornified: How Pornography is Transforming Our Lives, Our Relationships, and Our Families. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2005).
- Cyber-sex is a public health hazard exploding because very few are recognizing it as such or taking it seriously. (MSNBC/Stanford/Duquesne Study; Associated Press Online, 2/29/2000).
- Cyber-sex is the crack cocaine of sexual addiction. (Dr. Robert Weiss, Sexual Recovery Institute, Washington Times 1/26/2000).
- Cyber-sex reinforces and normalizes sexual disorders. (Dr. Robert Weiss, Sexual Recovery Institute, Washington Times 1/26/2000).
- 57 million Americans have Internet access. (MSNBC/Stanford/Duquesne Study, 2000).
- 25 million Americans visit cyber-sex sites between 1-10 hours per week. Another 4.7 million in excess of 11 hours per week. (MSNBC/Stanford/Duquesne Study, Washington Times, 1/26/2000).
- At least 200,000 Internet users are hooked on porn sites, X-rated chat rooms or other sexual materials online. (MSNBC/Stanford/Duquesne Study, Associated Press Online, 2/29/2000).
- MSNBC/Stanford/Duquesne Study, 2000
- Men prefer visual erotica twice as much as women
- Women favor chat rooms twice as much as men
- Women had slightly lower rate of sexually compulsive Internet behavior
- 70% keep their habit a secret
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CHRISTIANS AND SEXUAL BROKENNESS
*17.8% of all "born again" Christian adults (in America) have visited sexually-oriented Websites (Zogby survey conducted for Focus on the Family, 2000).
*63% of men attending "Men, Romance & Integrity Seminars" admit to struggling with porn in the past year. Two-thirds are in church leadership and 10% are pastors (Pastor's Family Bulletin, Focus on the Family, March 2000).
*1 in 7 calls to Focus' Pastoral Care Line is about Internet pornography (Pastor's Family Bulletin, Focus on the Family, March 2000).
*"If you think you can't fall into sexual sin, then you're godlier than David, stronger than Samson, and wiser than Soloman" (Pastor Bill Perkins).
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PUBLIC LIBRARIES
| YEAR | LIBRARIES FILTERING | SOURCE |
| 1998 | 14% | National Commission on Library and Information Science |
| 2000 | 24% | National Commission on Library and Information Science |
| 2002 | 43% | Library Journal |
| 2004 | 65% | Library Journal |
*The pedophile monitoring group, PedoWatch, has confirmed that online pedophiles are telling each other to use public libraries to download child pornography. PedoWatch is "one of the oldest organizations on the Internet that is working with law enforcement worldwide to remove child pornography and child luring activity," and currently works with "over 125 law enforcement officers" to monitor the activities of online pedophiles. (Dangerous Access, 2001 Edition, David Burt.)
*Public libraries have become a breeding ground for the sexual exploitation of children. (Donna Rice Hughes, Senate Hearing Testimony, 3/28/00)
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HUMAN SEX TRAFFICKING
- According to "The Global Coalition To End Human Trafficking Now" 10 Million child prostitutes worldwide.
- $19 Billion generated annually on the street from human trafficking (Christine Dolan, The Global Coalition to End Human Trafficking NOW).
