Parenting is tough. There are aspects of parenthood that are painful, cringeworthy, and frightening. Nevertheless, no matter how uncomfortable it is, some things about raising a child can’t be ignored. One of those uncomfortable topics is protecting your children from viewing pornography.

In today’s society, pornography is easy to find on accident or on purpose because of the internet. Sadly, a majority of children are exposed to pornography before they reach adulthood. “93% of boys and 62% of girls have seen online pornography before age 18(familysafemedia.com/pornography_statistics.html).”

The negative effects of children and teenagers viewing pornography are immeasurable. That is why Clean Internet is a valuable tool parents use to protect their children from the terrors online. One of the many protections Clean Internet provides is pornography filtering.

Here are 6 Damaging Effects of Children Viewing Pornography

  • Young Exposure: According to Family Safe Media, 11-years-old is the average age of first exposure to online pornography. During this season of life, a child is not ready to understand what they are witnessing. The prepubescent child may internalize what they’ve witnessed, and speak or act inappropriately.
  • Health and Well-being: Coming across pornography can have lasting physical and mental problems on a child. Watching pornography can even be unhealthy for adult viewers, leading to isolation, depression, and self-esteem issues. A child can experience these negative health effects and more.
  • Child Development: A child’s brain isn’t fully developed. Research shows that the prefrontal cortex is not fully developed until age 25. This area of the brain, connected to decisions making and behavior, is partly why young adults are often dangerous and impulsive. Pornography can impact the brain’s development. Children might end up on websites that they aren’t supposed to be on because they are wired to make risky decisions.
  • Altered Morals: Exposure to pornography as a child may have lifelong implications. A child could internalize relationships that they see, not understanding the role playing or fantasy situations that are common in pornographic films. Children won’t understand that not all pornography reflects normal, healthy relationships.
  • Normalize Sexual Behavior: Parents no longer have the narrative on sexuality. Children viewing pornography could get mixed messages on consent, boundaries, and more. Sexuality is best addressed in the home or school, with parents and educators informing children in an age-appropriate way.
  • Age of Innocence: Children should be children. With the internet, the innocence of childhood is too often compromised. Viewing pornography, especially ones that are fetish based, are confusing and damaging to the innocent mind. Children may become traumatized.

Clean internet protects your home from online pornography. Call 219-728-5030 today!