More Than One Third of the Internet Is Porn

A recent study by Optenet finds that more than one in three pages on the web is pornographic, and it’s growing at a faster rate than last year.

Predominant content on the Internet is pornography, which makes up 37% of the total number of Web pages online, according to a new study published by Optenet, a pioneer and global leader of enabling SaaS offerings  and delivering “on-premise” security solutions.

The report, which includes a representative sample of approximately 4 million extracted URLs, shows that adult content on the Internet as well as illegal content such as child pornography and illegal drug purchase has undergone a significant increase of 17% in the first quarter of 2010, as compared to the same period in 2009.
. . .

Ana Luisa Rotta, director of child protection projects at Optenet, said that, “When you consider that more than one third of the Internet’s content is pornographic, combined with the overwhelming increase in young people now curiously visiting web sites with such ease of access, it is becoming increasingly imperative that adults take responsibility for the management of home PC security.”

Read the rest.

The study doesn’t define what constitutes pornography, but something tells me that it probably refers to complete, erotic nudity rather than just “printed or visual material intended to stimulate sexual excitement” (Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed.). I imagine if a broader definition like this were used, it would be well over 50%. I also wonder what is means. What if a page just has one little inappropriate web ad in the sidebar? There are plenty of pages on the web that arguably aren’t porn but do contain it—even if only in its milder (and more subtle and danger?) form. Could 75% of the internet contain content “intended to stimulate sexual excitement”?

This is a good reminder of how important it is for Christians to guard their hearts (Pr 4:23) and the hearts of those under their care while online.

See these recent related posts from elsewhere in the Christian blogosphere:

• Generation Porn: Where Will It End? by Walt Mueller
• This Is Your Brain on Porn by Justin Taylor
• Women and Pornography by Thabiti Anyabwile
• Protecting Our Children in a Modern Corinth by Randy Alcorn

HT: Thinq via Slashdot