Pornography is printed or visual material containing the explicit description or display of sexual organs or activities, intended for erotic stimulation. Child pornography is the illegal use of children in visual material. Children have been used as sexual objects since the dawn of time. It was during this time that laws were developed to protect children from sexual abuse. “Pornography in the modern sense began with the invention of the camera in the early 19th century. » (Pg1, Ln11-12) Early pornography was erotic literature and portraits of their bodies. Although throughout the 20th century child pornography was of poor quality and more difficult to obtain, it was also a restricted activity. Between 1977 and 1980, 250 teen porn magazines and the Internet changed the scale of the problem. Local and federal departments are involved in taking responsibility for child pornography. “Child pornography on the Internet is just one problem among others linked either to abuse or to the Internet. » (Pg3 Ln1-2) If one lifts the meaning and goes beyond Internet child pornography, they will discover that child abuse can have many other origins. Child abuse can range from neglect to exposure to hazardous materials. Protecting children from sexual exploration is a modern concept. “Even in the 1880s in the United States, the age of consent for girls was only 10.” (Pg4Ln2-3) From 1977 to 1988, only two states had legislation specifically prohibiting the use of children in obscene material. The first federal law was passed, along with a law specifying child pornography. From a federal perspective, a child is anyone under the age of eighteen. The definitions of pedophilia and pornography differ depending on the pedophilia. The Internet can be used for more than just downloading and viewing child pornography. The Internet condones child sexual abuse by enabling networking, caregivers seeking victims, cyberstalking, promotion of child sex tourism, and child trafficking. A person with skills in using a computer will have the ability to cover their tracks, but many do not have this ability. The most obvious evidence is the information stored on the hard drive. A simple handheld device can be used as evidence to incriminate the perpetrator. Servers can provide a lot of information that allows you to track what pornography is being used. Online activity is observed and monitored by law enforcement. Works Cited Wortley, Richard and Stephen Smallbone. Child pornography on the Internet. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, 2006. Print.