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)

Thanks to our mission partner:

Buoyancy Digital is proud to be the inaugural Mission Partner for the Cybertraps Podcast series. A dig...