By: Amanda Grossman-Scott
One of the first things you can do as a parent is become informed. Modern day porn has drastically changed over the last 20 years. In her book Pornland, author Gail Dines describes how pornography has saturated our culture. She refers to it as a “massive social experiment, only the laboratory here is our world and the effects will be played out on people who never agreed to participate.” Those people are your children. Here are 5 vital things you need to know.
- It is no longer ruled by Playboy, Penthouse and Hustler magazines and others like it.
Welcome to the digital age. Porn has gone digital and viral along with everything else. Your kids need only have access to a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or video game console, to view the most explicit images the internet has to offer.
- It is everywhere.
According to Internet Filter Review, in 2006 the world’s pornography revenue was 97 billion dollars; more than Microsoft, Google, Amazon, eBay, Yahoo, Apple, and Netflix combined for that year. It’s not a matter of if your child will be offered or exposed to pornography but when. It has oozed its way into everyday life so that it’s barely noticeable anymore. From the jokes we tell, to the magazines and books we read, the TV and movies we consume, to shopping mall windows and t-shirts, to your email and your mailbox, it’s unavoidable.
- It is addictive.
Research shows that pornography uses the same pathways into the brain as drugs, it triggers dopamine which causes addiction. Pornography’s addictive properties are being recognized more and more by mental health professionals. As with cocaine or heroine, addiction to pornography produces real anatomical change in the brain. This addiction can begin with the first look and, also similarly to drugs, addicts need a little more each time to achieve the desired effect.
- It is damaging to your child’s neurological development.
Research suggests adolescents do not have the maturity “necessary to suppress sexual cravings, thoughts and behaviors elicited by pornographic content” (Kalivas, 2012). Youth who view pornography often develop unrealistic sexual values, have more permissive sexual attitudes, and tend to experiment with sex at an earlier age.
- Any premise of art, storyline or love is completely missing in online porn.
“Gonzo” pornography, a genre which used to be considered extreme for its violence and degradation is now the vast majority of what is found online. Modern day porn is filled with woman-hating aggression (vile name calling, hitting, slapping, hair-pulling, body-punishing sex and much worse). In fact, according to the website stoppornculture.org, 88.2% of top rated porn scenes contain aggressive acts and 94% of the time the violence is directed towards women. Research indicates that boys who have viewed violent pornography are more likely to believe that girls enjoy being overpowered or raped and that “no” really means “yes”. Furthermore, adolescent girls are more inclined to tolerate emotional, physical and sexual abuse if they have viewed pornography.
The pornography industry is always looking for new customers and they are preying on children to find them. Educate your children with open, honest and candid talks about what is three clicks away on any computer. As uncomfortable as it may be, your child deserves to hear about pornography from you before they see it. Empower them to start making changes in the world around them.
For more information on this subject, check out our book How to Talk to Your Kids About Pornography. It is also available in .
Sources:
Hilton, D. , Watts, C. (2011, February) Pornography addiction: A neuroscience perspective. Surgical Neurology International
Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3050060/#CIT6
Apter, Terry Ph. D. (2011, March 22), Access to Internet Pornography: Are Parents concerns justified? Psychology Today Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/domestic-intelligence/201103/access-internet-pornography-are-parents-concerns-justified
Ropelato, J. Internet Pornography Statistics [Internet Filter Review] Retrieved from http://internet-filter-review.toptenreviews.com/internet-pornography-statistics-pg2.html
Bennet, M. (2103, October 9) The New Narcotic [The Witherspoon Institute] Retrieved from http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2013/10/10846/
Dines, G. (2010) Pornland: How porn has highjacked our sexuality Boston, Beacon Press
Report of the Attorney General’s Commission on Pornography: Section 5.2.1 Sexually Violent Material Retrieved from http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/vaw02/mod2-6.htm
Facts and Figures [Stop Porn Culture] Retrieved from http://stoppornculture.org/about/about-the-issue/facts-and-figures-2/
Hough, P. (2010, March 23) The Social Costs of Pornography [The Witherspoon Institute] Retrieved from http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2010/03/1215/
Kalivas, P. (2012, April 9) The Impact of Internet Pornography on Adolescents: A Review of the Research [Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity: The Journal of Treatment and Prevention] Vol. 19 Issue 1-2 Retrieved From http://www.psych.utoronto.ca/users/tafarodi/psy427/articles/Owens%20et%20al.%20(2012).pdf
