{"id":3422,"date":"2011-05-30T12:03:40","date_gmt":"2011-05-30T10:03:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jozikids.co.za\/zaparents-blog\/?p=3422"},"modified":"2022-06-08T21:16:09","modified_gmt":"2022-06-08T19:16:09","slug":"porn-children-and-the-internet-a-case-of-hide-and-seek","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jozikids.co.za\/blog\/parenting\/internet\/porn-children-and-the-internet-a-case-of-hide-and-seek\/","title":{"rendered":"Porn, children and the internet – a case of hide and seek?"},"content":{"rendered":"

We live in a world that is radically different to the world we grew up in, more so if you\u2019re over the age of 30. \u00a0I\u2019m not talking about all the changes in technology, or how our country has changed, I\u2019m talking about the explosion of information we are exposed to and overloaded with. \u00a0One of the most disturbing effects of this overload is the likelihood that your child will be exposed to pornography and because most of us haven\u2019t prepared them for it, they won\u2019t know how to deal with it.<\/p>\n

Why is your child likely to see pornography?<\/h2>\n

Extremely widespread access to social media chat rooms and to the internet via cell phones means that as parents it becomes increasingly difficult to regulate what our children access and when. Often they are exposed to sexual content accidentally via an MMS from a friend, an email, a link or on any of the social media sites.\u00a0 Often such content is sent from other children.<\/p>\n

When sex is forbidden and never discussed, but at the same time the messages conveyed via popular songs, music videos etc say its fun and stimulating, children\u2019s curiosity can lead them to search for answers via a cell phone without anyone ever knowing. At some schools, we are aware that students often exchange addresses of porn sites with each other or in more extreme cases use their phones to film each other and then distribute these clips.<\/p>\n

What can you do as a parent?<\/h2>\n

For younger children filters, passwords and adult supervision are highly recommended but with older kids\u00a0 it ‘s much more complicated<\/p>\n

Most children, 12yrs and older will know a nerd, who with a few instructive clicks can bypass any nanny security.\u00a0 And on cell phones there is close to no protection at all. This age group needs to know how to distinguish what is appropriate and what isn\u2019t.\u00a0 They need critical media literacy skills, and to self regulate.\u00a0\u00a0 They also need parents who talk to them about sex and love and how pornography distorts what is real.<\/p>\n

We need to explain that:<\/h3>\n