Kids are searching for sex online, get over it

newsguy 2 1K Views

The media seems to have been a-buzz this week following the release of the top search terms from 14.6 million searches picked up by parental control service OnlineFamily.Norton - mainly because it 'revealed' that kids are searching for sex online.

I am a parent myself, of young kids, and while of course I was shocked to discover that 7 year olds were looking for porn (and that search term was in position number 4 in the 7 and under age group according to Symantec which operates the service) I certainly would not get my knickers in a twist over finding 13 year olds searching for sex online (also number 4 in the teens group popular search list).

It's interesting to note that both boys and girls were searching for sex, although the boys had sex and porn in positions 4 and 5 respectively whereas the girls moved Taylor Swift up into the 4 slot and sex was at 5.

But is it really such a big deal that 13-18 years olds include sex and porn in their top search terms? No, of course not, kids have always been interested in sex as they go through puberty and the only difference these days to when I was that age is that the Internet makes it a lot easier to go look at naughty pictures.

I had to pay a few pennies to sneak a look at the Playboy magazine an older boy had sneaked into school. What is a bigger deal is that sex isn't a more popular search in the age group. Above sex are YouTube, Facebook and Google, with MySpace nestled between sex and porn.

Pretty much the same is true in the 8 to 12 year old group where sex sits at number 4, surrounded by YouTube, Google, Facebook, Club Penguin, Yahoo and eBay.

I do agree that finding porn sitting alongside Games, Club Penguin and YouTube is rather disconcerting in the 7 and under age group though and would suggest that this does not suggest kids are growing up earlier just that peer pressure and celebrity/media coverage of sex has meant that kids are more likely to get exposed to the word 'porn' at a much younger age.

And that says less about the Internet and more about the parenting, in my humble opinion. It also makes for a rather good argument that perhaps parental control software is becoming an essential item rather than an optional extra these days?

The , across all age groups, for the kids' top 100 searches of 2009 is:

  1. YouTube
  2. Google
  3. Facebook
  4. Sex
  5. Porn
  6. YouTube.com
  7. Yahoo
  8. MySpace
  9. eBay
  10. You Tube
  11. Wikipedia
  12. Michael Jackson
  13. Taylor Swift
  14. Gmail
  15. Party in the USA
  16. Miley Cyrus
  17. Club Penguin
  18. Miniclip
  19. Fred
  20. Games
  21. Facebook login
  22. Google.com
  23. Hotmail
  24. Lady Gaga
  25. Amazon
  26. Yahoo Mail
  27. Justin Bieber
  28. Addicting games
  30. Webkinz
  31. Yahoo.com
  32. Boobs
  33. MSN
  34. Hannah Montana
  35. Dictionary
  36. Walmart
  37. Selena Gomez
  38. Dictionary.com
  39. MySpace.com
  40. New Moon
  41. Runescape
  42. Lil Wayne
  43. Google Maps
  44. Down
  45. Google Earth
  46. Norton Safety Minder
  47. Mapquest
  48. Boom Boom Pow
  49. Craigslist
  50. Twilight
  51. Megan Fox
  52. Sesame Street
  53. Poptropica
  54. Target
  55. Eminem
  56. Music
  57. Fireflies
  58. Disney Channel
  59. You Belong With Me
  60. Utube
  61. Weather
  62. iTunes
  63. Beyonce
  64. Pokemon
  65. Britney Spears
  66. Twitter
  67. Hotmail.com
  68. Demi Lovato
  69. Funny
  70. Black Eyed Peas
  71. One time
  72. Cartoon Network
  73. Jonas Brothers
  74. Halo
  75. www.youtube.com
  76. Watcha Say
  77. Family Guy
  78. Taylor Swift You Belong With Me
  79. Best Buy
  80. Taylor Lautner
  81. Rihanna
  82. Pussy
  83. Gmail.com
  84. Lego
  85. Gummy Bear Song
  86. Thriller
  87. You’re a jerk
  88. Nigahiga
  89. Girls
  90. Free online games
  91. New Moon trailer
  92. Translator
  93. Disney
  94. Ask.com
  95. Paparazzi Lady Gaga
  96. Poker Face
  97. Chris Brown
  98. iPod Touch
  99. Photobucket
  100. Bing

Dani AI

Generated

This thread neatly captures two predictable reactions: curiosity-as-normal and alarm. is right that kids explore as they grow. is also right to worry about vulnerability. ’s practical idea about shared computers echoes what many parents find useful, and ’s reminder that “people search for everything” is worth keeping in mind when deciding how strict to be.

Practical steps that balance protection and trust: enable built‑in device controls and supervised accounts; turn on search-engine “SafeSearch” and video filters; apply router- or DNS‑level family filters so all home devices inherit the same rules; restrict app installs and set a strong admin password; put internet devices in common areas; and use browser history or reporting tools as part of regular conversations. Remember no technical filter is perfect—kids may use friends’ phones, private windows, proxies, or mobile data—so controls work best alongside open guidance.

For site owners and SEO folk trying to help, clearly label adult or sensitive content and implement age gates rather than relying on search engines to auto‑classify. Avoid overblocking legitimate resources; test filters periodically and adjust. Final note: blocking alone does not teach judgment. Combine reasonable technical safeguards with plain, age‑appropriate talks about privacy, consent, and how to get help when something online feels wrong.

Member Avatar for Alex_
Alex_ 0 Junior Poster

The facts are true and i don't deny them but i'll have to disagree on your opinion that it's not a big thing that that happens.

Children are vulnerable, mentally. They can not discern for them selves what is good or bad. By the fact that they get exposed to sex through the media is a bad thing because it pollutes their _innocent_ thinking! And instead of becoming honourable children they become perverts!... and not only. Children get to swallow most of media's crap. It's crap because all it wants is to enslave people to make them want something by making them believe some thing or another is cool. Media, in most cases is a game for the adults. Wise men decide for their own based on real values what is good or not... while children can't do it on their own and thus become victims.

Oh the cruelty. Don't let your kids become perverts! and don't let them be fooled by the media in believing it's lies. Be wise and build a better, healthier world: take care of your children.

Edited by Alex_ because: n/a
Member Avatar for canadafred
canadafred 220 SEO Alumni

interesting

Member Avatar for theemerchant
theemerchant -2 Junior Poster in Training

it is a parents responsibilities to look after their child on whatever they do. interesting topic. this will help me guide my child when doing a project research. desktop computers might be place on sala's :)

Member Avatar for John Willson
John Willson 0 Newbie Poster

Hi,very interesting and meaning full topic.

<snip>

Edited by ~s.o.s~ because: Keep it on site
Member Avatar for victordoomm
victordoomm 0 Newbie Poster

:( # 70 should be a little bit higher don't you think

Member Avatar for rocco88
rocco88 -5 Junior Poster

People search for everything online. It is the best way to get information!

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