Dirty Podcasts

What
does15-year-old Michael Feuer listen to on his i-pod?

“Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Hendrix, AC-DC, some rap, some techno,” he
says.

But he can also listen to ‘podcasts’ – audio
programs downloaded from the web. It could be music… talk… comedy…news… even
drama.

“You can download the full hour show,” says Michael, “And
I mean it can range from a good show to like lot’s of sex
talk.”

In fact, on many podcast websites, sex is a popular theme….
And the shows can range from tame to extremely pornographic

One click, and a kid can download this show on his i-pod and
listen as often as he wants.

“I had not idea you could do that,” says Michael’s
mother, Laura.

“I know a lot of parents don’t even know, they think
it’s just for music, the i-pod,” says Michael.

“Pornography and sexual content information has been around
from the beginning,” points out Psychologist Robert Simmermon,
Ph.D., “And it shouldn’t be a surprise to us that when
we find a new way to deliver information, that information will
be delivered as well.”

He says, first… parents should find out what’s on
their child’s i-pod.

“Listening to find out what’s going on in their lives
is absolutely appropriate and o-k,” he says.

And if you find that porn has been downloaded, he says
choose whatever consequences you think are appropriate. But also,
Use this opportunity to talk with your child.

“It’s important that we continue to channel the discussion
and to channel curiosity,” says Dr. Simmermon, “But
it’s not about being depraved, it’s about being curious.”

Some parents may consider digital MP3 players and podcasts to be a “fringe
concern.” Statistics from The Pew Internet and American Life Project
suggest otherwise, however. Consider the following:

• The following list is a breakdown of the percentage of MP3 owners
  by age group:
• Eighteen to 28 years old – 19 percent
• Twenty-nine to 40 years old – 14 percent
• Forty-one to 50 years old – 11 percent
• Fifty-one to 59 years old – 6 percent
• Sixty to 69 years old – 6 percent
• Seventy years or older – 1 percent
• Twenty-nine percent of Americans over the age of 18 with MP3
  players have listened to podcasts.
• Over 22 million American adults own an MP3 player.
• More than 6 million of these owners have listened to podcasts.
• Both men and women are equally as likely to have tried downloading
  podcasts.

Only 20 percent of owners of MP3 players over the age of 29 have downloaded
a podcast, but nearly half of those between 18 and 28 have listened
to a podcast.

Walkmans (“What’s that?”) and
portable CD players (“I remember them”) have been replaced
by digital MP3 players, and it looks like they’re here to stay. In
addition, podcasting, which used to be “geek Greek” to the
general populace, has become mainstream. A podcast is a digital audio file
that can be downloaded onto an MP3 player and listened to at the listener’s
leisure. These files formerly consisted of broadcasts such as BBC and NPR
reports, but now adult-oriented podcasts are becoming more available. In
fact, podcast.net reports that the term “porn” ranks number
two as the most-searched-for term. What can parents do to protect their
children from these dirty podcasts? According to experts at Focus on the
Family, consider the following steps to safeguard your family:

• Get into your teen’s entertainment world. Find out what
  they like to listen to, and try to understand why.
• Set a family standard regarding what’s in bounds and what’s
  out.
• Model wise listening choices. Hypocrisy will undermine what
  you are trying to communicate. Don’t be afraid to change
  course (and apologize) if you’ve blown it, as many of us
  have.

In addition to these guidelines, don’t be afraid to monitor
your child’s MP3 player and his or her use of it. Your child
may even thank you for it down the road.