40 Things All Parents Need to Know About Porn & The Effects on Children & Teens

Think porn isn’t a problem for your child or teen? Think again. 

This week, Billie Eilish, the Grammy award-winning singer, opened up about her childhood porn addiction saying, “I think it really destroyed my brain and I feel incredibly devastated that I was exposed to so much porn….. I started watching porn when I was, like, 11.”

The prevalence of the “Porndemic” among youth today is shocking, yet many parents are unaware of how prevalent it is and the devastating effects on youth.

So just how pervasive is the Porndemic among teens and children? 

Here are a few startling statistics on the consumption of pornography by children and teens (Keep in mind, these statistics, many of which are pre-COVID have only increased since the start of the pandemic):

  1. “57% of teens search out porn at least monthly”
  2. 51% of male students and 32% of female students first viewed porn before their teenage years.
  3. The first exposure to pornography among men is 12 years old, on average.
  4. 10% of children in the 7th grade have stated that they are watching enough porn to be concerned that they may have an addiction issue and not be able to stop.
  5. Under the age of 10 now account for 22% of online porn consumption under 18 -years old.
  6. “90% of teens are either encouraging, accepting, or neutral when they talk about porn with their friends”
  7. The Crimes against Children Research Center says that 1 in 5 teenagers have received a sexual solicitation via the web.
  8. Only “about 25 percent of the youth who encountered a sexual approach or solicitation told a parent.”
  9. “Nearly 27% of teens receive sexts”
  10. Around 15% are sending them.
  11. One out of 7 kids have received a solicitation of porn and there are 100K websites that offer illegal child pornography.
  12. “79 percent of young people’s unwanted exposure to pornography occurs in the home.”
  13. “Per Google Analytics, pornography searches increase by 4,700% released a report when children are out of school.”

But is it really a problem though? In a new age of technology and social media, children and youth are being exposed more and at a younger age than ever before.  Gone are the days of “finding dad’s playboy”. The content today is darker and more vivid and it’s creating a wide range of mental health problems.

Let’s look at the effects of pornography consumption at a young age: 

  1. Depression
  2. Anxiety
  3. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
  4. ADHD
  5. Gender identity crisis
  6. Sexual orientation crisis
  7. Higher suicide rates
  8. Disconnected parent-child relationship
  9. Forming distorted views of sex and relationships
  10. Desensitization to sexual violence
  11. Higher likelihood of participation in dangerous sexual activities
  12. Long-term attachment issues
  13. Grooming youth into the sex-industry as a career path
  14. Increase risk of prostate cancer later in life for teenage boys who frequently ejaculate in their teens.

 

But how are youth accessing pornography and where is the greatest risk of exposure? 

  1. “79 percent of young people’s unwanted exposure to pornography occurs in the home.”
  2. The most common two methods of first exposure are 1) accidental online and 2) exposure by a friend or relative
  3. It’s important to remember that almost anything you might come across on the internet, your child has access or exposure to as well. This includes social media, advertisements, videos, etc.. Apps like TikTok and Instagram push out unfiltered content with little to no regard for age appropriateness.
  4. Many young, female entertainers are creating OnlyFans accounts on their 18th birthdays (a personal, porn subscription site), thus exposing and alluring their younger audiences
  5. Sexting and apps like SnapChat which can lead to sexual harrassment and problems in school.

 

What steps can parents take to protect their children? 

Protecting children from the traumatic effects of pornography is one of the most important responsibilities of parents today. If your child has already become exposed or addicted, these steps will help prevent additional exposure and curb addiction:

  1. Have honest, loving, and open conversations with your children about what pornography is, the negative effects, and what they should do to avoid it
  2. Monitor, secure, and filter internet data through WiFi setting and/or parental controls
  3. Check in on your children and offer support if they would like to quit.
  4. If they are concerned they might have an addiction, take it seriously. Offer your support and if possible counseling or an addiction recovery program.
  5. Be patient and kind if they have relapses. Do not shame or embarrass them. It’s an addiction and some adults can’t even quit on their own.
  6. Learn about the addiction recovery process for yourself
  7. Lead by example and offer motivational support
  8. Discourage other forms of media with heavy sexual content (i.e. music, movies, etc.)

Fight The Beast is an addiction recovery organization that offers recovery solutions and spreads awareness on the effect of pornography and sex addiction. 

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