Porn A Disappointing Reality for Teens, A Nightmare for Parents
William Jackson, M.Ed.
Technology has allowed youth, teens and young adults access
to photos, videos, chat and interactive play areas. Access to
interactive content is a billion dollar industry that has grown from
the old store displays and magazines, graphic novels, and other
literature that was once hidden out of site or packaged with the
covers either torn in half or covered with paper except for the titles.
Back in the day there was youthful embarrassment asking for
these mags and has been replaced with online content that is
more than just eye candy. The wide openness of the Internet
means just that, content is wide open, in your face, graphical
and in your face, yes I did say that twice because kids are
shown soft porn or innuendo even in “kid” and “teen” movies.
The resulting rise in realism also means a rise in the boys and
girls curiosity that are viewing porn on their phones, tablets,
laptops and desktops. Yes girls look at porn also, they talk about
content with their friends both boyfriends and girlfriends.
The prevalence of the viewing and listening of porn, has resulted
in the firing of judges, police officers, teachers, lawyers, military
personnel and even those having high levels in government,.
Home Land Security is investigating porn of multiple levels found
on work computers and other digital devices in corporations and
even the military.
Since borders have no boundaries not many people think this
would be something for Home Land Security, but it is. Porn affects
the actions of youth, teens and young adults which could be
dangerous to those in their circle of friends and family. Affecting
behaviors and relationships. Youth are influenced that sex can
fill a gap in their lives and multiple partners at a young age is ok
and expected.
When queries are made about porn on the Internet data by
https://www.webroot.com/ shows that search engines are in a
constant state of digital engagement to find requested data.
Webroot.com/
https://www.webroot.com/us/en/resources/tips-articles/
internet-pornography-by-the-numbers
Every day according to data
37 pornographic videos are created in the United States.
2.5 billion emails containing porn are sent or received.
68 million search queries related to pornography
25% of total searches- are generated.
116,000 queries related to child pornography are received.
This information seems disturbing, but there is more…
As a parent, educator and blogger researching this information
and ease of finding porn in videos, photos, anime, animated
cartoons, and other types of digital information. These sites
glamorize porn, the reality is there is a dangerous underside
that youth, teens and young adults do not see. They do not
see the manipulation, deception, medical consequences and
the destruction of family morals and values.
Sex trafficking is heavily tied to porn because youth are shown
there is a movie star level of being in movies and photo-shoots.
There are legal markets, but the underground or Black market
of porn is dangerous and deadly. It can seem to be fun, mysterious
and economically viable to the ignorance of youth, but STD’s, AIDS
and other diseases and viruses are potentially spread from person
to person in these sexual markets. The glamour quickly fades to
terror and fear as boys and girls are made to have sex with multiple
partners.
There are correlations between porn and human trafficking that
parents need to understand and talk to their children both boys
and girls about. Roughly half of the sample group (including men,
women, and children) were used to make pornography films.
80% of those who have been freed from human trafficking were
forced to re-enact specific acts of pornography by the people who
enslaved them.
The majority of these victims are taught how to “perform” via
pornographic material. https://everaccountable.com/blog/the-link-
between-pornography-and-human-trafficking/ “the porn industry,
which fuels the demand for human sex trafficking, the fastest-growing
business of organized crime in the world, receiving more visitors
each month than Netflix, Amazon, and Twitter combined?”
Porn Human Trafficking Reinforce Each Other
https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/08/porn-human-trafficking-
reinforce-each-other/
There is a disappointing reality when involved in porn because
in some cases youth, teens and young adults are not taught about
sex by their parents or guardians. Youth, teens and even young
adults get their information from friends. Sexual relationships,
emotional consequences and the value of personal body respect
and sexual safety in many cases are not talked about by parents.
There is no cultural, ethnic, economic, educational or gender
level, most parents only touch on the birds and the bees, not so
much as the emotional responsibilities, ethical consequences
and behavioral changes that may occur when having sexual
relationships with multiple people.
Porn affects Americans in ways that interfere with family,
friends, work and other relationships. The data presented
in Webroot again shows:
About 200,000 Americans are classified as “porn addicts.”
40 million American people regularly visit porn sites.
35% of all internet downloads are related to pornography.
34% of internet users have experienced unwanted exposure
to pornographic content through ads, pop up ads, misdirected
links or emails.
One-third of porn viewers are women.
This begs to encourage parents to talk to their children about
the perceptions, mis-perceptions, ideas, thoughts about sex
and sexual relationships. Parents should talk to their family
doctors and even law enforcement personnel about porn and
associated sites that are open on the Internet that allow direct
access.
The intellectual, emotional and even spiritual results have
consequences that do affect youth to young adults.
Lastly stated from Webroot.com/
*”It creates distorted expectations which hinder healthy
sexual development. Adolescents exposed to high levels of
pornography have lower levels of sexual self-esteem.
Keeping the conversation going with your child about the
effects of pornography is essential to heading off issues
like depression and low self-esteem.”
Parents should not be scared to view what is on their
children’s phones, especially since the parent is paying
for the service and will be held accountable for what is
on the device especially if it is shared with other minors.
Protecting your children as a parent means educating
both parents, children and the community. To recognize
the signs of porn, potential sex trafficking and
other dangerous sexual situations youth, teens and young
adults maybe caught in.
