Now more than ever, the porn industry is targeting younger and younger audiences. Why? Well, the porn pros know how vulnerable children are. It only takes one interaction for them to get hooked and stay hooked. Children are an easy sell and they become lifetime buyers.
If you think back to before the internet, if kids wanted to access porn they would find their Dad’s old playboy in the garage. Now, while doing their online homework or associating with friends during recess they can be exposed.
When a child’s undeveloped brain interacts with porn, they experience an overload of dopamine that the brain can’t quite process. Because the part of the brain that distinguishes reality hasn’t fully matured, kids see porn and it feels more real to them than when an adult sees it. This happens, and they don’t know why or what it is, just that they felt something they’ve never felt before and they want to feel it again. To see a complete study on how Porn impacts kids check out this study.
Jack, an active, creative, 13- year old boy slips quietly into his Mothers room to tell her about the videos he’s been watching and that he hasn’t been able to stop. Jack’s Mom knew when he was first exposed to porn a few years ago at a friends house. They talked about why the images make him feel funny and why he should always turn away. Even so, Jack was hooked. He told his Mom when he felt stressed with homework and school he would watch the videos.
He’s not the only one.
Fortify, an online pornography addiction recovery works with tens of thousands of youth from 12-17 from all over the world with a compulsive porn problem. Thankfully Fortify helps them find lasting freedom.
How do I protect my kids?
One of the best ways you can protect your kids is by having an open dialogue with them. Even with the best filters kids can be exposed to porn. The best protection is helping them understand and process what they’ve seen and creating a safe space for them to talk about it.
There are a lot of resources out there that can educate you on how to talk to your kids on this topic. The most important aspect is removing shame from the discussion. Some of the best resources are found below.
The Guideline: A Parent’s Guide to Addressing Pornography with Children
Having your kids recognize what they’ve seen, process their feelings thoughts, and having a trusted support to express these experiences to is key to protecting them against a porn addiction.
Filtes, can help as well. Blocking out porn sites can help protect your family. Some of our favorite filters are listed below.
What do I do if I think my child has a porn addiction?
As discussed above, having that crucial conversation about porn with your children is most important. Figuring out exactly how involved your child has been, where and how they’ve been accessing it, and providing hope and encouragement is key.
Now, for help we recommend Fortify. Fortify is an online training, recovery and healing community dedicated to helping equip, encourage, and fortify individuals with a desire to get pornography out of their life.
It’s gamified so it’s fun for your kids, it connects them in a healthy way with others struggling, and oh yeah, did we mention it’s free?
Fortify is 100% free for those 13-17. In a survey given to Fortify users, over 90% said Fortify helped them find lasting freedom from pornography.
Get your kids the help they need to overcome pornography.
