To exploit children includes child pornography. Child pornography in its simplest terms is sexually explicit pictures of children. Sexually explicit pictures that get a pedophile excited, can be as a child playing in his or her bath at an early age and mom or dad innocently took those cute baby and toddler pictures.

Back before digital technology, when film was the only alternative, I refused to put my home address and full name on the outside the development envelope for any family pictures. I put our last name and cell phone number only. At Sam’s Warehouse the pictures are placed alphabetically in a large bin until the owner picks them up. Anyone had access to pick them up and view them.

The only pictures I have of my children playing in the bathtub are when they decided to get in one day and play in their bathing suits and my son was wearing his umbrella hat. Even the innocent naked child in the bathtub pictures make me personally uncomfortable. The problem with having them around is someone may get a hold of them.

What exactly is child pornography? The law refers to a child or minor as anyone under the age of eighteen years old. Pornography is sexually explicit content. Therefore, child pornography is any sexually explicit images of a minor child. The visual images of a minor can include photographs, digital or film, video, pictures, computer, or computer-generated images.

The images are considered child pornography when making the image involves a minor engaging in sexually explicit acts or conduct, regardless if the visual image is a digital, computer, or computer-generated image. Even if that image is indistinguishable from that of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct, or such visual depiction has been created, adapted, or changed to appear that an identifiable minor is engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

Now the tricky part, is it considered child pornography if all the images are computer-created and computer-generated, and no children or pictures of children were used to make the images. In other words if someone sat down to a new computer, one with out any pictures in the hard drive and the computer created.

There was a case a few years ago and the man had not used any children to create his images, only his imagination and his computer painting or artwork programs. He was arrested, tried, and eventually cleared. The jury felt no children used or exploited during create the images so technically it was a drawing or piece of artwork and not officially child pornography. All charges were dropped.

The internet is the new network for child pornography. With developing digital technology pedophiles and pornographers no longer have to leave home to find their victims or to make their dirty little pictures. Then they can sell, buy, or trade their pornography right from the comfort of their easy chair. This is one reason it is becoming more difficult to find those who exploit children.

If you stumble on a site you consider questionable or downright nasty, go to the (NCMEC) National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and click on the link Cyber Tipline. This is a form you can fill out, which is then sent to the proper law enforcement agencies for investigation. You can make a differece.

Tell me what you think about this article in our MEC Forum at the following thread. Until next time I am sending angels to everyone, angels above, below and all around each of you to give you strength to stay on your journey in the days ahead.