Multibillion dollar industry’s move into mobile generates safety concerns for teenagers and children

Dublin, Ireland – AdaptiveMobile the leading provider of mobile subscriber protection for enterprises and individuals, today warned parents that their children and teenagers may have unrestricted access to a number of pornographic images and videos via their mobile devices. The company issued this warning amid industry predictions that mobile pornography will see exponential growth in 2008. According to Juniper Research, mobile pornography was a $775 million industry in 2008, with the global market predicted to reach $3.5 billion by 2010.

The concern lies in some mobile sites that require no age-verification to view material as well as other content providers who send pornographic images as part of marketing campaigns. While some mobile operators either restrict or ban this content, others are allowing it, given both consumer demand and the revenue potential. Adding to the concern is the announcement by YouTube to expand its content to more than 100 million mobile phones, which could include graphic and adult material.

Some of the ways that children and teenagers could receive pornography include SMS campaigns which contain links to adult sites, MMS campaigns containing inappropriate images to advertise a site, and emails that contain images or videos. Each of these examples does not require age-verification controls to access the content.

AdaptiveMobile is working with leading mobile operators to safeguard their infrastructure and enable them to deliver appropriate controls to ensure a safe mobile experience for teenagers and children. Its parental controls are multifaceted, allowing parents to block applications, phone numbers and sites, or allow certain technologies in a limited capacity. It is encouraging parents to become an active partner in their children’s mobile experience, working closely with their mobile service provider to get the best level of protection available.

“Children and teenagers are the fastest adopters of mobile technology, so the trend toward mobile pornography is of special concern to those of us interested in their safety,” said Lorcan Burke, CEO of AdaptiveMobile. “We want parents to know the real risks that exist and also to encourage them to work closely with their children and mobile service provider for a safe mobile experience.”