Kids Under 10 Make Up 10% of Porn Site Visitors

We keep repeating an old number. Most experts claim that 11 is the average age for exposure to pornography, but that number is obsolete. A recent report by the internet security company Bitdefender claims that one in ten of visitors to porn sites is under the age of 10.

Let that sink in for a minute. We live in a world where a ridiculous number of kids under age ten are looking for and consuming online pornography.

“The research shows that, unless they are carefully supervised by their parents, children start visiting porn websites from an early age,” Bitdefender’s Senior e-Threat Analyst Bogdan Botezatu told Mirror.

Sadly, the stories I hear from parents confirm that shocking report. One mom, a sex addiction therapist, did everything she knew to keep her 6 year old son from being exposed to pornography. But she was devastated to find out that another 6 year old Kindergarten classmate (at their private Christian school) showed him a porn video on his cell phone. Six. Years. Old. With a cell phone!

Pornography is Child Sexual Abuse

This is where I want to chain myself to a tall skyscraper and let down a huge banner that reads: HEY PEOPLE! LET’S STOP ABUSING CHILDREN WITH PORNOGRAPHY!!!

Because that’s what it is: Child Sexual Abuse! And it’s sexual abuse that keeps on abusing as children imitate what they see on other children. Early porn exposure is creating a generation of kids plagued with problem sexual behavior.

In fact, a full 22% of kids under 18 who visit porn sites are under the age of 10, reports Mirror. And these sites are not just repositories of nude photos or even “vanilla porn” (one man and one woman having sexual intercourse). According to Fight the New Drug, sites like PornHub distribute videos in the following categories: extreme brutal gang bang, sleep assault, domestic discipline, and crying in pain. (Believe me, these are some of the tamer titles--and kids are not just seeing the titles!)

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So if a sex addiction expert can’t find a way to cocoon her young child, how can YOU protect your child’s young mind? Do what she did and what every parent needs to do!

8 Ways to Help Your Kid Beat the Odds of the Porn Trap

You are your child’s best first source of information about the dangers of pornography. Do these and I promise you your kid will have much better odds of escaping the porn trap.

1. Decide to educate yourself. This is not an easy battle. It’s going to take time and commitment to keep yourself informed. Dedicate at least one hour per week reading blogs (like this one!) and listening to podcasts that keep you current on online threats. This is your parenting homework and it will be time well spent!
2. Live in the real world. You can’t parent your kids like you were parented--today’s world is safer in some ways and more dangerous in others. Be open to the truth of living in the world as it is and as it’s becoming. You know as well as I do that head-in-the-sand parenting has never helped one kid ever.
3. Inoculate your kids from a young age. Prepare their minds with a defense so they’ll be ready to reject pornography whenever they encounter it. Give them lots of good reasons why they should turn away from images (or words) that might make them extremely curious. Start as soon as they have any access to the internet.
4. Avoid shaming. Porn is shameful, but kids who are curious about it are normal. Here are some helpful words from Good Pictures Bad Pictures Jr.:

“Sometimes kids see pictures by accident. But even if you see a bad picture, that doesn’t make you a bad kid...There's something good you can do if you see a bad picture.”

1. Give them a plan. You’ve probably figured out a plan for dealing with a natural disaster or a house fire. Kids need a plan for escaping from pornography! You can find the CAN DO Plan in Good Pictures Bad Pictures and the Turn, Run and Tell plan in Good Pictures Bad Pictures Jr. Or you can make up your own wonderful plan!
2. Keep talking! Believe it or not, kids like being empowered. They like being trusted. They like talking and planning together with you. And if a child doesn’t like these conversations, then maybe you’re doing too much of the talking and not enough of the listening. Or maybe they need something to relieve their anxiety--try giving them a fidget toy to use while you talk. Or talk while they’re building something or making cookies. Some parents find good family talk time while driving to or from an event or vacation.
3. Install filters. Do everything you can to filter and lock down your own devices, especially if you have young kids. Read this about Circle by Disney, Mobicop, and Covenant Eyes (affiliate link). And be careful if you still have cable television--take time to figure out the parental controls. (And if you plan to stay in a hotel, call first to see if they offer an easily accessible “adult” channel. Seriously--you don't want your kids to see the thumbnail photos or the category descriptions!) Then help your kids understand that you’re working to protect your entire family--not installing barriers because you don’t trust them.
4. Share what you know because porn impacts everyone. Let’s all work together to protect kids by sharing posts like this with your friends and family. When we know better we can do better. Most people are still living in a bubble when it comes to how pornography is harming kids. You know better so please help enlighten your friends and family members.

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Face the Reality, Be Proactive

The absolute reality is that young kids are looking at porn. And it’s hurting them. Until we can create a culture that protects children from the sexual abuse of pornography, we must step up and inoculate them. Inoculating kids from porn requires education, on-going conversations and lots of love, patience and perseverance. It’s not a one shot deal, but you CAN DO it!

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