Senator Mark Pryor Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senators Mark Pryor and Max Baucus (D-Mont.) introduced the Cyber Safety for Kids Act today as part of a multifaceted approach to protecting children from viewing indecent material on the internet.

Pryor said his legislation allows parents more control over the content their children view in their own home, particularly online pornography. The bill directs the Department of Commerce to require adult sites to provide secure log-ins requiring age identification, clean home pages and the ability to be blocked through filtering technology. If websites do not comply, the National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA) will be able to fine owners.

"I wish the solution to protecting kids on the Internet was as easy as shutting every one of these sites down, but it's not," said Pryor. "However, government can and should be a better partner to parents by providing basic protections. This legislation helps meet that goal and gives parents and teachers peace of mind."

Pryor added the government has turned a blind eye to online pornography, which has allowed the industry to rapidly expand. He said adult web pages have grown from 14 million in 1998 to over 400 million in 2005, which has resulted in a $12 billion industry. Many of these sites aggressively target children as their audience, such as the 56 year old web site owner who made $1 million by misspelling domain names like Disneyland, Teletubbies and Britney Spears. Owners of the site paid 10 to 25 cents for every hit he generated on their sites. A Kaiser Family Foundation study that found 90 percent of kids aged 8 to 16 have viewed pornography online, mostly while doing homework.

"The statistics are staggering already, but if we sit back and do nothing to protect kids on the Internet the problem will only escalate," Pryor said. "I stand with Arkansas's teachers and parents who want their children to expand their horizons through the Internet without running into indecent material. The solution is complex, but this bill offers a major step forward."

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		April 11, 2007 Press Release Pryor Aims to Clean Up the Internet for Children WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senators Mark Pryor and Max Baucus (D-Mont.) introduced the Cyber Safety for Kids Act today as part of a multifaceted approach to protecting children from viewing indecent material on the internet. Pryor said his legislation allows parents more control over the content their children view in their own home, particularly online pornography. The bill directs the Department of Commerce to require adult sites to provide secure log-ins requiring age identification, clean home pages and the ability to be blocked through filtering technology. If websites do not comply, the National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA) will be able to fine owners. "I wish the solution to protecting kids on the Internet was as easy as shutting every one of these sites down, but it's not," said Pryor. "However, government can and should be a better partner to parents by providing basic protections. This legislation helps meet that goal and gives parents and teachers peace of mind." Pryor added the government has turned a blind eye to online pornography, which has allowed the industry to rapidly expand. He said adult web pages have grown from 14 million in 1998 to over 400 million in 2005, which has resulted in a $12 billion industry. Many of these sites aggressively target children as their audience, such as the 56 year old web site owner who made $1 million by misspelling domain names like Disneyland, Teletubbies and Britney Spears. Owners of the site paid 10 to 25 cents for every hit he generated on their sites. A Kaiser Family Foundation study that found 90 percent of kids aged 8 to 16 have viewed pornography online, mostly while doing homework. "The statistics are staggering already, but if we sit back and do nothing to protect kids on the Internet the problem will only escalate," Pryor said. "I stand with Arkansas's teachers and parents who want their children to expand their horizons through the Internet without running into indecent material. The solution is complex, but this bill offers a major step forward." ###