Fie on Goodness! Child Access to Adult Content and Products Cybertraps 018

In this episode, Fred and Jethro discuss the issues around child access to adult content and products on the internet. Many links and examples at Cybertraps.com

• Legal But Age-Restricted (in theory)
  • Gambling
  • Pornography
  • Cigarettes
  • Alcohol
  • Prescription Drugs
  • Weapons and Explosives
• Illegal
  • Obscenity / Child Pornography
  • Controlled Substances as defined the Drug Enforcement Agency
  • Schedule I – heroin, LSD, marijuana, ecstasy, peyote, etc.
  • Schedule II – Vicodin, cocaine, methamphetamine, methadone, oxycodone, fentanyl, Dexedrine, Adderall, and Ritalin
  • Schedule III – Tylenol with codeine, ketamine, anabolic steroids, testosterone
  • Impure or corrupted versions of known drugs
  • A range of designer/synthetic, uncategorized drugs
• Shift in Laws and Social Acceptance
  • Alcohol – Prohibition
  • Marijuana – Spreading legalization
• Scope of the Problem
• Examples
  • 2020–12–23 One in six children steal money from their parents to pay for addictive computer game ‘loot boxes’, survey reveals – as campaigners call for them to be classed as gambling
  • 2020–12–12 This 6-year-old racked up $16K on mom’s credit card playing video games
  • 2020–12–04 Schoolgirl, 15, died at gathering with friends after taking ecstasy supplied by two teenagers who bought the tablets off the dark web, inquest hears
  • 2020–11–08 One in 10 children admit gambling with their own money amid fears thousands of families are being plunged into ’tidal wave of misery’
  • 2020–08–26 Gambling giants flout advertising rules to target children by using websites popular with youngsters
  • 2020–08–18 Schoolboy, 15, AVOIDS jail after he sold three super-strong Donkey Kong ecstasy pills to a 13-year-old on Snapchat before he died hours later from ‘severe reaction’ to Class A drug
  • 2020–01–03 Children are fueling marathon gaming sessions with ‘dangerous’ stimulants that have DOUBLE the caffeine of Red Bull and are promoted by YouTube stars like KSI and FaZe Jarvis
  • 2018–05–14 Twitter and Instagram are accused of ‘playing with people’s lives’ for continuing to host pages advertising deadly counterfeit Xanax
  • 2014–02–26 Buying a gun on Facebook takes 15 minutes
  • Schoolgirl 15 died taking ecstasy supplied two teenagers bought dark web inquest hears
• Exposure
  • Peers
  • Social Media Influencers
  • Advertising
  • In-Game Purchases
• Facilitation
  • Social media – algorithms, influencers, unmonitored groups
  • Web sites – poorly designed and unethical
  • Product-specific sites
  • Private seller sites (eBay)
  • Dark web – TOR
  • Surface web – 4% of visible internet
  • Deep web – non-indexed, non-accessible sites (government, corporate, etc.)
  • Dark web – requires special browsers like TOR, I2P, or Freenet
  • 2013 – DEA, Homeland Security, and FBI take down Silk Road, notorious dark web drug bazaar
  • Encryption for communication (Sigaint, PGP)
  • Delivery services – poor practices, disregard of regulations re signatures, etc.
  • Parents – lack of supervision, access to credit cards/finances
  • Payment methods
  • Reloadable credit cards
  • Cryptocurrency (BitCoin)
  • Barter
• Why Is Age Verification on the Internet So Difficult?
  • 1984 New Yorker cartoon – On the internet, no one knows you’re a dog
  • Buttons and verification screens are laughable
  • Birth certificates are issued locally, not nationally
  • Social security numbers are given to children
  • Credit card companies don’t want the hassle
• A Range of Child Protection Initiatives
  • Governmental
  • General
  • More and more systems requiring real-time scan of driver’s license
  • United Kingdom
  • The Digital Economy Act – any website with more than one-third of pornographic content must securely verify that their visitors are 18 or over.
  • United States
  • 2021–01–29 – UPS ends home delivery of vaping products
  • 2020 – The Preventing Online Sales of E-Cigarettes to Children Act
    • Same safety measures as those for traditional cigarettes and smokeless tobacco
    • Verify the age of customers for all purchases.
    • Require an adult with ID to be present for delivery.
    • Label shipping packages to show they contain tobacco products.
    • Comply with all state and local tobacco tax requirements.
  • 1997 Child Online Protection Act – required all commercial distributors of material harmful to minors to restrict their sites from access by minors.
    • Ruled unconstitutional in 2007 by U.S. District Court. 3rd Cir. agreed in 2008, and SCOTUS denied cert in 2009.
• Software and Services
  • A wide variety of software companies are competing to create effective age verification systems
• Labeling
  • Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection
  • Restricted to Adults label for web sites
  • List of organization and software tools aimed at protecting children
  • Guidelines for parents
    • Install and use parent control software on all computers
    • Know what sites your children frequent and monitor their online activity
    • Foster communication with your children so they understand the potential dangers they may be exposed to online.
• What Can Parents Do?
  • Monitor the Use of Devices
  • Install Filtering Software and Use Parental Controls
  • Check Browser History
  • Lots of Conversation
  • Be Confident in Discussing Online Activity with Your Child
  • Pay Attention to Your Child’s Behavior
  • Don’t Be Afraid to Discuss Influence of Friends
  • Sign Up for Delivery Notification and Check All Packages / Consider Installing a Smart Doorbell
  • Keep a Close Eye on Your Finances
• Get Help
  • American Addiction Centers
  • Get Smart About Drugs (DEA)

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