How Educate and Empower Kids Got Started

By Dina Alexander, MS

Last year, I read an article that changed the course of my life as a woman and as a parent, and that turned me into an activist. It was a description of a BBC documentary that was airing about modern-day pornography and its effects on individuals’ brains, the children viewing it, and on society as a whole (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2432591/Porn-pernicious-threat-facing-children-today-By-ex-lads-mag-editor-MARTIN-DAUBNEY.html).

I thought I was a savvy, educated, open-minded, liberal mom who understood the full potential of the internet–the good and “the inappropriate.” But as I read through the article, I realized that I was woefully naive on the dark, lurid world of online porn. I fought many emotions as understanding set in: denial, sadness, disgust, and then anger. At first I declared to myself, “Not my child!”

I also thought my family was safe under the haven of my home computer’s filtering program. But my continued research of academic journals, books, blogs, and news stories led to the overwhelming conclusion that we as parents are facing a threat to our children the likes of which has never been seen. As I spoke personally with experts in the field of media studies and pornography, I clearly realized that we are under a public health threat greater than any epidemic known before!

Our children have 24-hour, anonymous, total access to online pornography. Whether it’s on a home computer or mobile device, it is not a matter of if your child will be exposed, it is a matter of when. Whether they are seeing it on the bus or at a friend’s house or at home when you are not around, there are simply too many opportunities for them to not see it.

Please don’t be foolish enough to think your child is immune or that you can keep them completely free from porn’s destructive effects. Even if your child doesn’t make a habit of watching porn, statistically, their chances of partnering with someone who has not been “educated” by online porn are very small.

It’s not enough to protect just your kids from pornography. It’s time to start a dialogue with your friends, family members, and co-workers. Spread the word, share an article, tweet what you have learned. Online porn is dangerous to your child’s health and the emotional, intellectual, and spiritual health of this nation. The time is now. Educate yourself, talk to your children and help them understand and deconstruct the pornified culture we live in. One of the best solutions I have found and the focus of this website: Teach your children about creating their own, unique, healthy sexuality.

A worldwide industry’s ruthless pursuit of profits combined with the minimally-regulated internet has left parents and caretakers completely on their own, 100% on the defense in the face of sophisticated companies whose targeted marketing focuses in on young boys–and girls. As they grow, increase their market share, interface with credit card companies and banks, go through mergers and acquisitions, hold trade shows, put out business publications, their focus is clear: create a market base and hold this base. Who is their base? Where are they casting their net? On our children.

Serving up a quick, cheap, narrow, commodified version of sex, they not only teach, they train. They groom. Do they brainwash? Research points to rewiring of the brain as a result from continued porn consumption. You decide.

Their only goal is to make money. They could care less about art or free expression–unless it fills their pockets (no pun intended). Their widespread results are many. Addiction to pornography is the most studied effect of this industry’s intentions. But what happens to a young, undeveloped brain that is continually exposed to violent sexual imagery? What happens when millions of teenagers get their sexual education, fantasy templates, and convictions from real-time images that constantly show a woman being demeaned, degraded, and violated? How are their beliefs about sexual intimacy, or any intimacy, shaped?

But the really terrifying by-product of this almost completely unregulated industry: a new generation of young men and women whose ability to empathize and show compassion has been greatly diminished. Research points toward brain connections actually being rewritten as a result of porn habits.

When faced with hours of online porn, how can a young developing brain combat what it sees? How can it process manufactured, violent imagery? We will continue to address these concerns in future blog posts.

Dina Alexander is the founder and president of Educate and Empower Kids. Dina received her master’s degree in recreation therapy and has taught in various capacities for the past 19 years, including marriage enhancement and art for small children. She has also worked with teenage girls in a residential treatment setting, adults with drug addictions and special needs children. She is a dedicated, whole-hearted mom of three children and loves spending time with them and her amazing husband. Together, they live in Texas.