With the day and age we live in, kids are far more likely to see pornography early on. Viewing pornography used to be a very public affair. You would go to the adult section in the movie store and have to purchase it at the register. This made getting the content harder for children and teens because they weren't allowed to even go back into that section of the store. Today our kids have technology at their fingertips. Providing them access to anything and everything that has ever been put on the internet. With studies showing that, “most young people today have been exposed to porn by age 13 and a nationally representative survey of U.S. teens show 84.4% of males and 57% of females ages 14 through 18 have viewed porn” we can see that it is our responsibility to teach the rising generation how to resist pornography.
Having a healthy and positive relationship with your child is step one to helping them build resistance from pornography. Participate in activities that your child likes, listen to your child's thoughts and emotions, and create a bond with them. “If you have a good relationship, your child will be more inclined to listen to your words and follow your example when dealing with pornography.” With a healthy and positive relationship having open and honest communication comes more easily. Create a space and environment that your child feels safe to share openly with you. This open and safe communication will allow you to teach your child as well as provide a space for them to ask questions. “As you talk openly and often about pornography with your child, he/she will feel more comfortable talking to you about it. Let your child know that they can always talk to you about anything they have heard, seen, or experienced online.”
Overall pornography is an issue! It’s not a matter of if but when your child see’s pornography. Let's equip our children with the tools to stand against it. As we help prepare them to be resilient in the world we live in we will see magnificent things happen as we help shape the future generations.
Citations
Geigle, By: Jill. “How to Raise Pornography Resistant Kids.” NCOSE, 31 Oct. 2022, https://endsexualexploitation.org/articles/how-to-raise-pornography-resistant-kids/.
British Board of Film Classification. (2020). Young people, pornography & age-verification. BBFC. Retrieved from https://www.bbfc.co.uk/about-classification/research
Wright, P. J., Paul, B., & Herbenick, D. (2021). Preliminary insights from a U.S. probability sample on adolescents’ pornography exposure, media psychology, and sexual aggression. J.Health Commun., 26(1), 39-46. doi:10.1080/10810730.2021.1887980