Porn
is devastating an entire generation of young people and new studies
show that first exposure is starting younger and younger.
The
increase of pornography use and addiction among adults is a growing
concern around the world. Sadly, it is far worse for today's children
who are growing up in a fully connected world. Porn is devastating an
entire generation of young people.
According
to ChildLine founder Dame Esther Rantzen, "Young people are
turning to the internet to learn about sex and relationships. We know
they are frequently stumbling across porn, often unintentionally, and
they are telling us very clearly that this is having a damaging and
upsetting effect on them."
How
bad is the problem?
Many
studies report that the average age of a child's first exposure to
pornography is at 11 years old. But security technology company
Bitdefender's research states that children under the age of 10 now
comprise 22% of online porn viewing for youth under 18 years old. The
under 10 years-old group now accounts for one in 10 visitors to porn
video sites.
As
licensed clinical social worker Donald P. Huerta explains, "Many
kids I have seen in my private practice who are struggling with an
addiction to pornography were initially exposed to it through a
friend, by newspaper underwear or swimsuit ads, on an ad that popped
up while searching the internet or by an accidental click on the
internet while doing homework.
After
the unintentional viewing and subsequently wrestling with guilt and
shame, they secretively continued looking for the pictures or movies
that held similar images and became more intentional in their
searches for it."
Over
a quarter (26%) of 13-to-17-years-old teenagers admit to viewing
pornography at least once a week. And if you think the problem
doesn't exist within the church, seventy percent of Christian youth
pastors say they have had at least one teenager come to them in the
last 12 months for help in dealing with pornography.
"Never
before in the history of telecommunications media in the United
States has so much indecent and obscene material been so easily
accessible by so many minors in so many American homes with so few
restrictions." -U.S. Department of Justice
Google
Analytics data shows that pornography-related searches increase by
4,700% when children are out of school.
In
view of such staggering statistics, how does porn harm children?
1.
Viewing pornography affects their attitudes and values
Consider
how easy it is for advertisers to influence our behavior to buy a
product with just a short television commercial. Similarly, a very
brief viewing of pornography can influence a child's attitudes about
sex, women, and other values.
The
American Bar Association reports, "Excessive media use,
particularly where the content is violent, gender-stereotyped, and/or
sexually explicit, skews children's world view, increases high-risk
behaviors, and alters their capacity for successful and sustained
human relationships."
Gail
Dines, CEO of Culture Reframed, said, "If you're socializing a
whole generation into porn sex, which is what we're doing because
porn is the major form of sex education today, then what kinds of
fathers, partners, lawyers, judges, policemen are they going to be
when they've had their capacity for intimacy, connections and
relationships hijacked by the porn culture?"
2.
Porn interferes with their development and self-identity
There
is a significant relationship between teens who use porn frequently
and feelings of loneliness and major depression. They also have lower
levels of self-esteem.
Pornography
alters a child's normal personality development process related to
their sexuality, their body, and sense of self.
"During
certain critical periods of childhood, a child's brain is being
programmed for sexual orientation", reports ProtectKids. "During
this period, the mind appears to be developing a "hardwire"
for what the person will be aroused by or attracted to.
Exposure
to healthy sexual norms and attitudes during this critical period can
result in the child developing a healthy sexual orientation.
In
contrast, if there is exposure to pornography during this period,
sexual deviance may become imprinted on the child's "hard drive"
and become a permanent part of his or her sexual orientation. "
Children
learn a considerable amount by imitating what they see other people
do.
We
have mirror neurons in our brain that help us to learn - when we
learn to tie our shoe laces by watching someone else, that is those
mirror neurons at work.
Neuroscientist,
Dr William Struthers, who wrote Wired For Intimacy; How Pornography
Hijacks the Male Brain, says, "These mirror neurons are involved
when someone views pornography because what they view, they
vicariously experience and learn from."
By
viewing pornography, the child's brain is being programmed to what
they are seeing which forms their understanding of sex and intimacy.
3.
Children are not emotionally or physically able to handle pornography
When
children view unfamiliar people in sex acts, it becomes an
overwhelming and frightening experience that they cannot comprehend.
According
to the Association for Natural Psychology, "Pornography, as well
as exposure to sexual innuendo, in movies for pre-teens, can evoke
emotions of worry and confusion. More often than not, children have
no one, with the exception of equally confused peers, with whom to
discuss what they've seen."
"Pornography,
as something that children and teens do not necessarily understand,
becomes overwhelming and confusing for most children and teens. This
can surface in ways difficult for parents or teachers to decode, such
as oppositional behavior, preoccupation with sex, and inability to
concentrate.
"Exposure or over-exposure can also lead to some symptoms associated with depression and ADHD, symptoms associated with bipolar disorder, or suicidal ideation."
According
to Dr. Ted Roberts, the host of the Conquer Series, the prefrontal
cortex of the brain is where reasoning, decision making and judgement
take place and isn't fully formed until the age of 25. This means
children are being exposed to pornography long before they can
comprehend the dangers associated with it or make judgments on what
they are seeing.
4.
Porn may cause children to act out sexually
Since
children often imitate what they've seen, some studies show that
pornography may lead them to act out sexually among smaller and more
vulnerable children.
ProtectKids
explains, "Over 66 percent of the males and 40 percent of the
females reported wanting to try out some of the sexual behaviors they
had witnessed. And among high schoolers, 31 percent of the males and
18 percent of the females admitted actually doing some of the things
they had seen in the pornography within a few days after exposure."
Young
people are also more likely to engage in 'sexting' photos or messages
on their mobile phones, which can leave them exposed to
cyber-bullying.
Studies
have also shown that boys exposed to a large amount of pornography
before the age of 14 tend to be more sexually active as adults.
Additionally, new research has found a link between exposure to
pornography and sexual violence.
The
challenge is clear
Pornography
presents a major harmful assault on today's young people. They will
have to deal with the negative impacts porn has on them into
adulthood unless we take action now to help them avoid a lifelong
porn addiction.
Thankfully
there is a growing movement of parents and teenagers who are fighting
for this generation and helping them break free from pornography.
Churches are beginning to run the Conquer Series not only for adults,
but also for father-son groups.
The
Conquer Series,
a 12-DVD cinematic production, will help you understand how the mind
processes pornography and how you can learn to fight back and find
freedom for your own sexual addiction, and also how to lead your
children to grow in integrity amidst a porn saturated culture.
As
the fathers go through the Conquer
Series with
their sons, they are not only dealing with pornography in their home,
but seeing a transformation of the depth in their relationship with
each other.
Teenagers
as young as 15 and 16 who have seen the devastating effects of
pornography in their lives and the students around them, are taking a
stand and leading their peers through the series.
Today's
children face a world saturated with sexual content, but the Conquer
Series is
a powerful resource helping them fight the battle.
Visit ConquerSeries.com to
watch the film trailer and find out more.
