Congress is considering a law that makes transmitting “obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, or indecent” material a felony. Most Internet experts view such regulations as out of step with the reality of the Internet, where no one knows who’s who, and teenagers, at ease in the computer milieu, are perhaps as often the initiators of provocative contact.
Predictor: Bennahum, David S.
Prediction, in context:In a 1995 article for Harpers Bazar, David Bennahum writes about teens’ discussions of sex and other mature themes on the Internet: ”Spurred by several highly publicized incidents of teens rendezvousing with men they met online, 11 states have passed laws or have bills pending that make it illegal for adults to engage in sexual conversations with children using a computer. Congress is considering a law that makes transmitting ‘obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, or indecent’ material a felony. Most Internet experts view such regulations as out of step with the reality of the Internet, where no one knows who’s who, and teenagers, at ease in the computer milieu, are perhaps as often the initiators of provocative contact.”
Date of prediction: January 1, 1995
Topic of prediction: Controversial Issues
Subtopic: Pornography
Name of publication: Harper's Bazaar
Title, headline, chapter name: Lolitas Online
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://memex.org/lolitas.html
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Anderson, Janna Quitney