(American College of Pediatricians)
Pornography is one of the greatest dangers facing our children today.
According to data collected by the Novus Project, 90% of boys have been exposed to pornography by the age of 18, on average between the ages of 8-11. Among girls, 60% were exposed before the age of 18.
Exposure to pornography at a young age normalizes sexual violence, promotes aggression, and severely impacts a child’s perspective of sex. Children with ongoing exposure to porn are at a higher risk of unplanned pregnancy, sexual addiction, and of being victims to sexual violence themselves.
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Here are some practical steps you can take to safeguard your child from pornography:
Limit your child’s technology use
Increased access to technology at a young age directly correlates with the young ages children are being exposed to porn. Limiting access will limit the chances your child accidentally becomes exposed.
Use Internet Monitoring Software
These days, it is almost impossible to personally monitor everything your child sees on the internet. Through installing software that can block and filter content, you are not only preventing possible exposure, but setting precedent for proper internet use. Make sure the software you use does more than just send reports, but actually actively blocks content.
Set strict parental controls on devices
There are many things you can do directly on your child's device to keep them from having unlimited access to the internet. Be sure to take advantage of these features as it can also initiate conversation with your child about why you are setting restrictions.
Talk to your children about porn and sex
With their innocent little eyes, often times children simply do not know what they are viewing. Older children may feel ashamed and would rather hide what they saw. By initiating a conversation with your kids, you are letting them know that they can openly talk with you about what they see on screens. This will allow you to be the one that shapes their perspective on porn and what healthy sexuality looks like.
With our culture promoting a severely skewed view of sexuality, it is critical that you are the one that controls the narrative in your household.
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The American College of Pediatricians offers a number of resources for parents to address the issue of pornography with their children.
They include:
The read-along book for parents and children, Good Pictures Bad Pictures- Porn-Proofing Today's Young Kids;
The article, " It's Awkward and It's OK: You CAN Talk to Your Kids About Pornography";
The article, "The Porn Talk: Five Tips Every Parent Needs to Know";
The Novus Project's statistics on kids and media exposure;
Parental control software reviews
ACPeds' article, "Protecting Your Kids from Pornography";
The article, "7 Ways Predators and Porn will Target Kids in 2019 – Be Prepared Not Scared!";
And ACPeds' position statement on pornography
Editor's note: This article is reprinted with permission from the American College of Pediatricians.
