Porn can be harmful to your teen's present AND future

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This graphic describes 10 different ways that porn can harm marriages and sex lives.  (The full explanation can be found here). 

Why would we discuss marriage on a blog that is meant for teen issues?! 

Because most likely in the future, your teen may choose to get married or choose to be devoted to someone in a committed relationship.  Many of the decisions they are making today can effect that marriage/relationship down the road.

It is not a secret that porn is rampant in society. It is ever increasing among young people.  In addition, the age at which kids are first viewing pornographic images is getting younger and younger.  In another one of our blog posts, we revealed various statistics that may surprise parents.  A few of these statistics were as follows:

• the average age of first Internet exposure to pornography is 11
• 90% of 8-16 year olds having viewed porn online (most while doing homework)
• 80% of 15-17 year olds having multiple hard-core exposures (source)

(Read the entire blog post here. )

Another study reveals:

"Pornography websites were accessed by at least 44,000 primary school children in one month, online research showed Friday, amid calls for greater restrictions on providers."

"The Authority for Television on Demand (Atvod) tracked the actions of children in Britain in December 2013 and found that one in 35 of six- to 11-year-olds online clicked onto an adult website."

"Some 200,000 aged under 16 -- one in 16 who went online -- also accessed an adult website in the same month, while one in five teenage boys under 18 were clicking on porn, the online video regulator said."

"One adult site, which allows users unrestricted access to thousands of hardcore porn videos free of charge, attracted 112,00 teenagers." source

The numbers and statistics tell it all. This is a growing problem, worldwide.

It is imperative that parents understand the severity of the issues and addictions that pornography can bring into their child/teen's lives.  

• Know how to protect your child/teen from accessing pornographic sites and images!  
• Keep lines of communication open! 
• Don't judge! 
• If there seems to be an addiction, they may need help!

Porn - harmless or destructive?

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Is pornography just harmless curiosity or a destructive habit?

In our last post, we discussed the importance of parents' involvement in what and who is influencing their kids.  This week, we want to focus on pornography, specifically.

Are you up to date on the extent and severity of the effects of porn on young people and adults in our modern society?  Maybe you or your family have even dealt with or have been affected by this epidemic, personally. 

Let us reveal some pretty surprising statistics for you.  A site called Family Safe Media has gathered the following data:

• every second, $3,075.64 is being spent on pornography
• the average age of first Internet exposure to pornography is 11
• 90% of 8-16 year olds having viewed porn online (most while doing homework)
• 80% of 15-17 year olds having multiple hard-core exposures
• every second, 28,258 Internet users are viewing pornography
• 87% of boys and 57% of girls see group sex online before the age of 18 (source link)

In this recent article from the U.K.s' Mail Online, ironically, a former editor of Loaded Magazine (a "gentlemen's" magazine) discusses his new found disgust and dismay on the severity of this issue. He was asked to take part in a discussion with 20 boys and girls ages 13-14 who were asked to label all the sexual terms that they knew from A-Z, no matter how explicit.  The adults in the room were shocked to find out that they didn't even know what many of the terms meant and that most of these young people had learned them from online exposure. 

The article also describes a major problem with young people and porn.  "The brain's reward centre is fully developed by the time we're teenagers, but the part of the brain that regulates our urges - the pre-frontal cortex - isn't fully developed until our mid-20s. The brains of teenagers are not wired to say 'stop', they are wired to want more. The implications of this study are profoundly troubling."

The article goes on to say, "If porn does have the insidious power to be addictive, then letting our children consume it freely via the internet is like leaving heroin lying around the house, or handing out vodka at the school gates.  And this toxic effect is filtering down directly into young girls' lives."

This article and many other sources go beyond the statistics and describe the destructive effects that porn can have on relationships, jobs, finances, and lifestyle.

Remember parents - avoiding a subject won't prevent it from happening and definitely doesn't mean it isn't already effecting your child.

Young people are very technologically savvy these days.  Many toddlers can even teach their grandparents how to navigate through the internet and mobile devices.  While many parents and guardians may not have the technological know how as their kids/teens do, there are definitely guidelines that can be put in place to help prevent or lessen the possibility of exposure.

Below are some boundaries that may be helpful:

* Avoid having televisions and computers in kid's bedrooms.
* Require kids to turn in mobile devices before bedtime (to prevent night 
   time web surfing).
* Implement some type of parental controls or guardian software on 
   Internet and television use.
* Be mindful of the types of magazines and advertisements (that may 
   appear harmless) that are in your house and that come in the mail.