Here are some scary facts from ABC News and Current Porn Statistics:
- a. The viewing of porn can start around the age of 8 but the norm is 12 to 13 years of age.
- b. 7 out of 10 teens have been exposed to pornography
- c. Porn is being labeled as the new drug
- d. Signs of addiction are : depression, lying, withdraw, irritability
- e. 70% of all 13-34 year olds use porn at least once a month
- f. Youth Ministers are reporting that 90% of kids who come to them are struggling with porn.
- g. Largest group of internet porn users are between the ages of 12-17
- h. In 2011-12, 70% of “blurred nudity” on TV happens before 9:00pm.
- i. Sex and porn are in the top 5 search terms for kids under 18
- j. 70% of all porn traffic occurs between the hours of 9am and 5pm
- k.The most disturbing new trend among teenagers: group sex
- l. 80% of 15-17year olds have been exposed to hardcore porn
When I wrote this book, it was before the popular trend of kids having phones and the access of the internet right in their fingertips at ALL times. Now they have not only phones but iPads, lap tops, Xbox, you name it. It’s no wonder our teen girls are more sexually aggressive than boys. They are desensitized to the images and acts. We can no longer scratch our heads concerning teen pregnancy and wonder why it’s on the rise.
And here’s the thing, it’s not always getting away from us because parents are working and they are “checked out”- it’s also because as parents, technology is going over our heads!
I was walking by my boy’s bedroom a couple of months ago and he was playing Xbox and talking to someone on his headphones. Here- unbeknownst to me, you can play a game with a complete stranger. I asked him who he was talking to and he politely spoke into the headset, “I have to pause for a moment”.
I repeated myself, “Who are you talking to?” It flabbergasted me that he was having a conversation with a total stranger- in his bedroom.
My son said to me, “Mom, you can play games with anyone you choose”.
I responded, “End the game now and I want to talk with you.”
That’s when he explained to me the capabilities of his Xbox. I then informed him that he was to never play a game with anyone he didn’t know. His response? “Probably a good idea, some of these people curse a lot!”
Great- good going mom. Couldn’t believe my ears. I thought I was safer than most because my kids didn’t have phones until high school (purely because they didn’t need them yet). I want to share with you that my lack of knowledge could have had devastating consequences. Kids are being abducted because they are lured by strangers through the internet to meet them. Therefore, I put a new plan in place, and it’s a plan that will evolve with technological advances, but for today, this is what is in place: Pollution Solution.
