Under many Christmas trees last year, kids found the latest and greatest electronics. I’ll be honest—the newest piece of technology is normally what I get most excited about. However, if you gave your kids iPads, tablets, computers, or especially phones, then you probably know you opened a whole new world up to them. They have a ton of fun and interesting apps, games, and information at their fingertips. However, the devices also provide a gateway to your child from the outside world, and that comes with danger and risk.
Some of the most dangerous predators online are pornographers, who are seeking to hook an entire new generation into porn addiction. The last thing we want is our kids watching porn. And as parents, we need to protect them. But you can’t do that if you don’t know where they are vulnerable. Here are 3 ways pornographers can find your kids.
1. Social Media
Although most social media platforms have rules and guidelines governing nudity and porn on their platforms, they aren’t quick enough or don’t care enough to eliminate it before it’s too late. All kids have to do is come across certain hashtags or follow a porn star and they are a click away from obscene material. Porn sites will send instant messages and friend requests from fake accounts to lure them in.
2. YouTube
Like social media apps, YouTube has porn guidelines and rules regarding content. However, porn videos are constantly uploaded anyway, and YouTube is often too slow to keep up. Even when YouTube does take down a video, the user will not be banned and simply can upload the next video.
Porn sites also leave links to their sites in comment sections. They hide pornographic content using thumbnails with Disney characters and other cartoons, which not only make their videos look appropriate but make them enticing to children. With a simple search for a Disney character, your child could be bombarded with pornographic content within seconds.
With these porn industry tactics, it’s easy to see why current statistics show children often get exposed to pornography between the ages of 9 and 13. And Disney characters are just one of many ways kids watching porn get pulled in with an innocent search for age-appropriate content. This unwanted early exposure to pornographic content is especially concerning because it increases the viewer’s risk of developing a pornography addiction later in life.
3. Text Messages
Without even requesting them, some phone owners receive web links to porn sites in text messages from unknown numbers. Predators send texts like this randomly. If your child has a device that has text messaging, this could happen. Talk to your child about not clicking on links from phone numbers they don’t recognize.
On the other hand, your kids could receive a pornographic image from a friend. Maybe it’s an online image, or maybe it’s an AI-generated nude photo of someone they know. Having conversations now about these potential problems shows your kids you’re a safe space they can come to if they stumble across these traumatic images.
Get the Facts
Porn can find our kids pretty much everywhere in our culture. That’s obvious. You name the technology and porn will be there. But did you know you can ask your internet provider for a monthly report of all the sites visited from your IP address? That will tell you where your kids are going so you can talk about it.
Protective Measures
Take all of the protective measures you can. Only let your kids use electronics in public spaces in your house. No electronics in their rooms. Get phone and tablet monitoring tools like Bark or Covenant Eyes. The more you can filter, the better.
However, here is a tough truth: if your kids want to find porn, they will (and most likely, they will be curious about it). They also will probably be able to find a way to use it without your knowledge, even if you are vigilant. Even if your kids aren’t seeking it, porn peddlers are aggressive and crafty enough to figure out ways around software protection and website or app rules.
That doesn’t mean we should surrender and accept defeat. It means you need to be as vigilant as possible in your protection efforts but understand your efforts will never be foolproof—not even close.
Your Best Hope
The best protective measure you can take to prevent your kids from watching porn is your relationship with them. Step into their world, listen and learn about their interests and friendships. Spend time making memories together. From your kid’s perspective, this will earn you the right to have difficult conversations.
If you’re dreading a conversation with your child about porn, you’re not alone. In fact, most parents avoid it altogether with 63% of teens reporting a trusted adult has never talked to them about porn. However, with the aggressive way the porn industry is pursuing our children online, we no longer have the luxury of ignoring it.
Our kids are being attacked with porn from every angle. Our ability to have real, raw, and vulnerable conversations with them is vital to their safety. Take every chance to step into these uncomfortable discussions, and initiate the talk early and often. Remember, most kids are first exposed between the ages of 9 and 13, so start these conversations earlier than you think.
The dangers of the web are here to stay. Helping our kids navigate through this minefield is our best hope.
What are some other ways to protect our kids from pornography?
