Pornographic Materials

Teachers and parents / Children and the Internet / Pornographic Materials

Rising access to materials with sexual contents
Nowadays children have access to various information in all sorts of media ranging from TV, music videos and advertisements to the Internet and other modern technologies. Parents, teachers and other specialists in educating children are now concerned more than ever before about the fact that children can access materials with sexual content, as well as the impact that these materials can have on a child’s mental and sexual development. Most of the information we receive through mass media attempts to normalize abusive sexual behavior.

What do studies show?
Studies show that encountering materials with sexual content at an early age can have a rather negative impact.
A child processes information with sexual content differently to adults. It was formerly believed that a child simply does not understand sexual information and it does not have any impact, since children have a specific way of thinking and they do not have any skills of abstract thinking yet. (From the psychological viewpoint, up to the age of about 12, children have a specific way of thinking and they perceive everything directly and consider it to be real).
The latest studies show that despite the fact that children are not really capable of processing the sexual material they have seen, it may be preserved in their sub-consciousness and flash into their memory in the future.

How do children come across sexual materials?

Accidentally
Children can accidentally encounter sexual materials on the TV, on the Internet or elsewhere.Such situations can have a negative impact even if a child does not understand what he or she has seen. The material seen is preserved in a child’s mind and has an impact before the child can divert his or her attention away from the unpleasant material (by turning off the TV set or shutting down the computer).
It may affect some children more than others; some of them may experience stress and unpleasant feelings, whereas others may even forget the material seen. For some children the materials seen may provoke interest in sexual materials and encourage them to seek them.
On purpose
Teenagers have a natural interest on sex and they often use the Internet as a means of searching for information they are interested in (they may also find this information exciting or topical). Since the contents of the Internet are usually uncensored, children can easily come across inappropriate materials. Materials with a sexual content can leave children with the wrong impression about healthy sexual relationships, as well as cause confusion about the values integral to building relationships.

Sexual information on the Internet is often inadequate and harmful to children. It may contain sexual scenes that involve violence and or an inhumane attitude towards people. Experts believe that such materials can give a strong, but false perception of healthy sexual relationships. Such materials lack information on establishing relationships, as well as about personal contact, since the materials urge people to establish sexual relationships without any emotional link between the people concerned.

What is the possible effect of undue exposure to sexual materials?

It can shape values and attitude towards sex, as well as sexual behaviour.
A child can experience an early or premature formation of sexualized behaviour.
It may encourage children to experiment with excessively provocative behaviour.
It may establish or shape an opinion that provocative behaviour is acceptable.
It may establish wrong views on relationships, outer appearance and behaviour.
It may involve risk of a child becoming a victim of a violator, since the boundaries of relationships can be obscure.
It may cause increased risks to health (sexually transmitted infections, sexual abuse).
It involves an increased risk of other children being exposed to a child’s problematic sexual behaviour.
It may interfere with healthy sexual development.

What should parents do?

Mass media (TV, radio, magazines, music, etc.) and the Internet provide children with open access to various materials with sexual content. It is essential to help a child to form a critical way of thinking, appropriate to his or her age. You can help to form this as follows:

find out and take an interest in what your child is watching and what games he or she is playing;
set restrictions on the information and games inappropriate for your child;
follow children’s activities both in real life and online (find out what they are doing and what they are interested in);
set up parental monitoring programs and content filters on the home computer;
explain that the mass media can induce incorrect perceptions about relationships;
Speak openly about negative messages in the media – model schools, music videos, advertisements (glorification of violence, views on power and control, different stereotypes).
give information on healthy relationships and healthy sexuality, so that children can interpret the messages of mass media according to this information;
raise awareness about healthy appearance;
raise awareness about sexual identity: (different relationship levels (acquaintances, friends, establishing sexual relationships; tendency towards domination (mutually voluntary relationship versus forced relationship); rights and responsibility of sexual behaviour; risks to health in relation to one’s sex life; self-respect and dignity (significance of self-esteem).)