Learn how the internet has changed the accessibility and consumption of pornography and how we can help our loved ones by being aware of the issue.
The Internet has changed the world, information is more available now than it has ever been. This includes information that is inaccurate and leads to unrealistic expectations. This happens with many different things, body image, adventures and trips, and sex. Never before in history of the world have individuals had so much access to pornography. Pornography can no longer be avoided, exposure is so common, none have avoided it’s reach.
“Monitoring is more important than filtering when it comes to protecting your kids from pornography.”
There is an endless amount of pornography floating around the web. This constant supply of novelty is changing the way we see each other and the way we see sex. Previous to internet pornography individuals who wanted to watch pornographic films had to go and rent them from a video rental store. An individual would have to walk into the back of the video store through the creepy beaded curtain and rent a video. At the checkout desk they would have to show identification proving they are old enough to rent this pornographic video.
This is no longer the case. There are more self-proclaimed 18-year-olds watching pornography tonight then there are 18-year-olds with internet access in the world. All a young child is required to do is click the highlighted box saying that they are 18.
Pornography can constantly accessed by children of a younger and younger age, as screens become a bigger part of our life. When we were renting pornography from video stores once the video was over you would have to put in a new VHS to watch a new clip. Then when you had fined with the clips you had you would need to return them to get novel pornographers. Now most individuals don’t even finish the three minute clips they are watching. Youth particularly get bored and move from tab to tab with multiple clips running. There is so much immediate access to novel pornography that youth rarely watch the same video over again.
The average age for first pornography exposure has dropped four almost five years from 12.7 to 8.1 for boys. The average age for women has moved from 13.4 in 1990 to just over 9.6 in 2017. The catalyst for this change has been the internet. While it may seem like the answer is to keep your kids from Internet access. Most initial exposure to pornography comes from friends. No longer are we asking if an individual has pornography exposure, the question is how much pornography have you been exposed to?
WHAT CAN I DO AS A PARENT
Cocooning, or sheltering our children is rarely helpful. There is a role for such protection though when our children are young. Delaying first exposure to pornography for our kids can be very helpful. We should take simple steps to help our children avoid early exposure to pornography.
As our kids get older monitoring is more important than filtering. Kids are going to be exposed to pornography it is most important to know about the use. Develop a pattern of open communication in the home devoid of shame. We need to be aware as parents what is around our kids and stay ahead of the ball. And ounce of prevention is worth a ton of treatment. We must be talking about pornography and sex at a very early age helping our kids to understand what sex really is, not what pornography portrays.
Typically we as parents struggle to be open and talk about sex ourselves. We then naturally spread this fear to our own children. We must work on our own view of sex before we can spread that to our children. As you work on your own perceptions your children will feel more comfortable talking with you about sex, you will feel more comfortable communicating to them the values that you hold. You cannot hide from this issue. Choose to come out of hiding and share your values with your loved ones.
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