By Kristen A. Jenson, MA
Pornography is a BIG problem because kids are accessing it, imitating it and producing it. In fact, they’re even hiring porn!
Why do kids “hire” porn? In other words, what is it about pornography that makes it so popular with children? What job (or jobs) is pornography doing for kids?
I wanted to find the answer to this question so I could help parents and teachers better prepare kids to reject the toxic sexual media that has become so easily accessible. To this end I hired an expert and did my own research. We completed in-depth interviews with 10 individuals (8 males, 2 females) who identified themselves as struggling with a pornography addiction, either currently or in the past.
Our results proved that parents need a more comprehensive approach to raising resilient children in the digital age. One talk won’t cut it.
Think about it. Most tables have four legs; most houses have at least four walls. Why? To provide stability. Kids need a stable foundation as well, especially when you think about the digital dangers they’re up against.
That’s why I created The 4 Pillars of Prevention™ strategy. The good news is that there’s more a parent can do to shore up their child’s resilience to pornography. And it starts with understanding the 4 Pillars:
Sexual Integrity: Some kids “hire” pornography to help them learn about sex when parents wait too long or never explain what sex is.
Emotional Resilience: Some kids begin looking at pornography out of curiosity, but continue using it to distract themselves from negative emotions. This is a pathway to addiction that can be avoided with emotional management skills and tools.
Screen Accountability: All kids need to understand how to use technology in safe, healthy ways.
Brain Safety: All kids need to know what pornography is, why it’s harmful and how to keep their brains safe by rejecting it with a plan.
Finally, prevention science teaches us the importance of building a foundation of love and using 4 simple parenting practices to help kids grow up addiction-free.
I look forward to presenting a comprehensive 4 Pillars of Prevention™ approach for parents at the 2019 Lonestar Coalition Against Pornography’s upcoming conference. Parents will leave encouraged, empowered and equipped with a plan to put the protective 4 Pillars into practice in their own families!
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how you can strengthen your child against the toxic effects of pornography. When parents face this challenge head-on with courage, their children don’t have to face it alone, in secret!
Register here for the conference on October 19, 2019 at the Collin College Conference Center in Plano.
Kristen A. Jenson, MA is the founder of Protect Young Minds™ and best-selling author of Good Pictures Bad Pictures: Porn-Proofing Today's Young Kids and Good Pictures Bad Pictures Jr.: A Simple Plan to Protect Young Minds. She serves on the Prevention Task Force of the National Coalition on Sexual Exploitation.