Sex and Sexuality:
“What can I do about a 15 year old viewing internet porn?”
Hey Terra,
Our 15 year old has been looking at pornography on the Internet when left unsupervised. We talk often about the dangers of this curiosity. Do you know of any books directed at teenagers about porn?Yikes
Dear Yikes,
I personally don't know of any books written for teens about the negative effects of viewing pornography. There are books out there that focus on Cybersafety for kids and teens and I'm sure they include sections on the inappropriateness of "adult-only" websites for kids. A couple of those titles include: Cybersafety: Surfing Safely Online by Joan Vos MacDonald and The Parents Guide to Protecting your Child in Cyberspace by Parry Aftab.
Are you aware of filtering software that blocks access to porn sites? You can find out more about what's available for your home computer and what features they include at: GetNetWise.org
One last point, and from my perspective this is key: you say you've had the talk, and you can porn-proof your home computer, but if your son is intent on viewing online porn, he will find ways to do it. My suggestion is that you have another conversation with him (calmly, respectfully discussing this together) and make sure you don't make him think that you believe he's a bad or an abnormal kid to be fascinated by porn. Please let him know that's perfectly natural to be curious about sexual things. The problem is that pornography offers young people an extremely unhealthy view of sex, sexual relationships, and women. Let him know that sexual expression in a loving committed relationship has NOTHING in common with pornography. And that as his parent, you want to make sure that he doesn't get a perverted view of sex that may make it very difficult for him to have a healthy relationship when he's older.
I hope this helps.
In friendship,
Annie
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