The Internet Safety and Child Protection Act of 2005, introduced
by Democrat Senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and eight other
Senators, was published in coordination with the release of a new
report by Third Way, a centrist think tank and advocacy group.
Third Way’s report exposes alarming statistics linking children
to pornographic web sites. It finds that children between the ages
of 12-17 are the largest viewers of internet pornography, and the
average age at which children are first exposed to on-line
pornography is 11 years of age.
“The internet has become our new American Main Street, and it’s
literally transforming the experience of growing up in America in a
way much different from the way parents of today grew up,” Senator
Lincoln said.
“Many internet service providers have taken significant steps to
provide parents with tools to protect their children from
inappropriate material on-line and they should be commended,” she
continued. “But sadly, many adult oriented web sites in today’s
on-line world are not only failing to keep products unsuitable for
children from view, but are also pushing those products in
children’s faces. And it’s time that we stand up and say, enough is
enough. Adult, for-profit web sites
will be required to use software to verify the age of users
attempting to access their web sites. On-line merchants, banks, and
credit card companies will not be able to process payment
transactions that are not age verified. The FTC will issue and
enforce the regulations outlined in this section.
Establish an Internet Safety and Child Protection Trust Fund
(ISCP Trust Fund) This fund will centralise and coordinate
the allocation of federal resources in support of efforts on the
part of law enforcement and others to combat internet and
pornography-related crimes against children. Trust Fund resources
will also support initiatives that help parents exercise greater
supervision over their kids
The Internet Safety and Child Protection Trust Fund will not be
deficit-financed or financed from taxes paid by the average,
working American. Rather, the Trust Fund will be financed by a 25%
excise tax on internet pornography transactions.Democrat Representatives Jim Matheson and Robert Menendez have
introduced similar legislation into the House of
Representatives.
