Parents fear body scanners reveal too much of their kids

TAMPA - They're the latest tool to keep us safe while flying. But Michelle Nemphos of Maryland calls body scanners a threat to children.

"It's an image of a nude child that they're seeing...this is child pornography whether people want to believe it or not," Nemphos said.

Nemphos say says the Transportation Security Administration in Tampa crossed the line when they scanned her 12-year-old daughter.

The Advanced Imaging Technology, or body scans are used to detect a wide of threats like weapons or explosives. TSA doesn't detect facial details and they say images can't be stored or printed.

"It's not a blurry image, it's a naked person," Nemphos said.

Right now, any one who can walk and raise their arms can be subjected to a body scan. But the Maryland mother wants TSA to change their policy and stop scanning kids.

We found parents at Tampa International Airport who agree.

"I do not think anybody under the age of 18 should be put through any of those scanners, ever," said mom Jillian Piccolo.

Others weren't so sure.

"I don't know where I stand on this issue. Maybe there should be a limit, but when you set a limit, terrorists will try to get around it and sneak in somehow," said mom Yarnirys Ardon.

TSA said any passenger can refuse the body scan. The alternative is a pat down.

TSA spokesperson Sari Koshetz says "privacy protocols are in place that prevent the officer attending to the passenger from ever seeing the image and the officer who views the image never sees the passenger.

"The officer viewing the image is in a locked room with no windows. The door to the locked room is not opened until the passenger has cleared the checkpoint and the images have been deleted. Should the two officers need to communicate, that is done with whisper headsets. As part of the privacy protections, the machines cannot store, print nor transmit the images and they are deleted immediately after viewing.

"Additional privacy protections include the fact that faces are blurred and the image is like a fuzzy photographic negative."

But parents aren't sure if the protocols are enough to protect their children.