In a survey of 1,500 Internet users aged 10 to 17 years, 42 percent said they had been exposed to Internet pornography in the past year.

As reported in the journal Pediatrics, two-thirds of those exposed to porn came across it inadvertently, while the others had gone to x-rated sites on purpose.

“We think it is important for parents to understand the extent of unwanted exposure to pornography among youth Internet users and to talk frankly with their children about this,” said Janis Wolak, JD, of the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire in Durham.

Unwanted exposure to Internet pornography was associated with only one Internet behavior - using file-sharing programs to download pictures. “Youth who reported downloading pictures were more likely than other youth to say they had seen unwanted pornography,” according to Wolak.

“Parents should know that youth with filtering and blocking software on their computers had less unwanted exposure to pornography, as did youth who had attended Internet safety programs put on by law enforcement,” she added. “We think this may be because some of those programs give youth technical information about how to avoid unwanted pornography.”

Few of the young people were upset by what they saw, according to Wolak, but those who were disturbed tended to be younger.

When talking to a child about Internet pornography, “it’s important not to over-react,” Wolak said. “Many youth appear to have thoughtful responses to what they see. At the same time, some youth may become drawn into Internet pornography,” she added.

In their report, the investigators say research on the potential impact on young people of exposure to pornography - especially unwanted exposure - is warranted, given the high rate of exposure.

SOURCE: Pediatrics, February 2007.