Pornography - The Real Danger
Rohan (given name) an
11 year old boy studying in 6th standard at a reputed school at
Trivandrum, was called up by the CHILDLINE Team for a session of counselling.
After almost 20 minutes of patient listening and interaction with the child,
the counsellor received one of the most gruesome and appalling cases in recent
history of Child helpline.
The boy
was part of a six member gang (all belonging to similar age group and grade)
who spent their days finding pleasure in sexually assaulting another classmate,
Mini (given name) an 11 year old girl. (Is it possible?). Detailed counselling brought out
the culprit. Explicit videos shown by older boys of the school were the major
influence that made the kids to experiment the abhorrent crime on their
classmate. Another shocking revelation was that the acts were committed upon ‘mutual
consent’ of the girl child! Detailed follow up revealed that the boys had
access to porn from their neighbours, and even elder brothers. And as always the parents had absolutely no
idea that their children were involved in such heinous activities.
Today,
children are being sexualized very early, in part because they are exposed to
sexually explicit material in movies, television, advertisements, internet,
cell phones, music and other media earlier than ever. With widespread access to
the Internet, curious teens may accidentally or intentionally be exposed to
millions of pages of material that are uncensored, sexually explicit, often
inaccurate and potentially harmful.
Children
as young as 8 and 9 are coming across sexually explicit material on the
Internet and in other media. Although research is just beginning to assess the
potential damage, there is reason to believe that early exposure to sexual
content may have the following undesirable effects:
Early
Sex
Research
has long established that teens who watch movies or listen to music that
glamorizes drinking, drug use or violence tend to engage in those behaviours
themselves. More teens were exposed to sexual content in movies, the earlier
they started having sex and the likelier they were to have casual, unprotected
sex.
Media
messages normalize early sexual experimentation and portray sex as casual,
unprotected and consequence-free, encouraging sexual activity long before
children are emotionally, socially or intellectually ready.
High-Risk
Sex
The
earlier a child is exposed to sexual content and begins having sex, the
likelier they are to engage in high-risk sex
Sex, Love,
Relationship and Addictions.
Not
every child who is exposed to sexual content will struggle with a
mental health disorder, but research shows that early exposure
to pornography is a risk factor for sex addictions and
other intimacy disorders. With the widespread availability of explicit material
on the Internet, these problems are becoming more prevalent and are surfacing
at younger ages.
Sexual
Violence
Early
exposure (by age 14) to pornography and other explicit material may increase
the risk of a child becoming a victim of sexual violence or acting out sexually
against another child. For some people, habitual use of pornography may prompt
a desire for more violent or deviant material, including depictions of rape,
torture or humiliation. If people seek to act out what they see, they may
be more likely to commit sexual assault, rape or child molestation.
Preserving Our Children’s Youth
Early
exposure to sexual content in the media may have a profound impact on
children’s values, attitudes and behaviours toward sex and relationships.
Unfortunately, media portrayals do not always reflect the message parents want
to send. Here are a few ways that parents can ensure their messages are heard:
• Know
what your children are watching, playing and listening to and take advantage of
teachable moments to discuss any inappropriate content or behaviours with them.
• Set
and enforce limits around screen time.
• Show
only age appropriate contents. Filter even advertisements shown between age appropriate
contents.
• Make
use of Internet filters and parental controls (link is external).
• Don’t
say that you are too old to learn the possibilities of cell phones. Make sure
to learn all possibilities or else children will outsmart you and go astray
using your own phones.
• Share
your family’s values and expectations regarding sex and relationships.
• Talk
to your child about media representations of sex, relationships
and gender roles and teach them to question the accuracy and intent
of the messages they receive.
• Model
healthy, respectful relationships and self-worth.
For
most families, banning media from the home isn’t a realistic option. After all,
most children (8 to 18 year-olds) devote an average of seven and a half hours
to media in a typical day. The goal isn’t to avoid the issue, but to approach
it head-on so that your children learn about sex and relationships from their
most trusted source: you.
How Pornography/Explicit Videos Harms
Children?
·
Threatens to Make Children Victims of Sexual
Violence.
·
Frequently Results in Sexual Illnesses,
Unplanned Pregnancies, and Sexual Addiction.
·
May Incite Children to Act Out Sexually
against Other Children.
·
Shapes Negative Attitudes and Values
Children process sexual and violent material
differently than adults. We may not think children actually retain what they
see and don’t understand. But in reality, children are paying much more
attention than we think, and not always to the things we think, either.
