Whether we admit it or not, one of the most common activities people are doing online is viewing pornography. And even if this isn't the case in your home, your children will learn about porn from their peers, from online advertisements, from mistakes in typing web addresses or search terms or out of normal curiosity about their own sexual feelings. I highly recommend you talk to your children about online porn and your expectations/rules for your kids in regard to it. It's out there and no amount of hiding will change that.
A new peer-reviewed study has been published to show what the impact of viewing online porn can mean to some children, especially boys. As you would expect, if a child's sex education comes from what they find online and particularly from pornography, kids get a warped view of what is normal or to be expected for their age. And this leads to earlier loss of virginity or heightened interest in particular forms of sexual behaviors, most likely copied from the Internet. Specifically, those who view online porn are sexually active before those who do not view online porn.
Original posting date: Monday, April 28, 2008 | 11:30 AM |