[dropcap]A[/dropcap]bout 35% of the entire internet is porn. Almost every boy and girl is exposed to porn at least once by the age of 18. To make it even worst, 88% of porn contains some sort of violence.
Not only our instincts attract us to porn, but curiosity also makes it even more difficult to ignore. Sooner or later, intentionally or unintentionally, everyone is going to see porn. We can’t name one person who hasn’t watched porn in his/her life. However, learning somethings before its time can have a devastating impact.
Exposing kids to explicit content and realities can scar them for life. They are building a personality when growing up. They pick up things from their surroundings, which unconsciously affect what they become as an adult. It could also have a seriously negative impact on their mental health. They have to be taught the definitions and differences between right and wrong at a young age. If something like porn becomes a part of their lives, they might start to lose respect and privacy of other human beings.
All parents do best to keep their children safe from porn. However, a wrong approach might do more harm than good. Here I have shared some smart and proven practical strategies to keep kids away from porn.
Become their Sex Teacher
They are going to learn about sex eventually. However, that information may not be correct or may have been perceived wrong. If not from you, they will learn about it from someone else. You don’t know how qualified the other person is and if he/she is the appropriate person for this job.
It’s best if you become their sex teacher and talk about these things. Yes, it’s going to be awkward both for you and your kid. Many parents try to avoid these talks their all life. They believe that the world will teach, which is true, but do you trust the world?
It’s crucial that you not only teach them but become someone they can trust. As an educator, I would ask kids to talk to me on any issue, assuring them of confidentiality and good advice because not everyone will guide them right. We all have heard weird myths about different things, including sex, that we actually believed.
Don’t Wait for them to Grow Up
Children usually know pretty everything there is to know by the age of twelve. They pick many things from the movies and rest they learn from friends and watching other people. You might be too late by the time you will get to discuss these things with your children. It is in these discussions that you will be able to teach kids how porn is wrong for them.
The use of force isn’t a successful approach. It makes them want to watch porn even more, and you can’t keep an eye on them twenty-four seven. You have to try to make them smart enough to make the right decisions. They will, of course, be convinced by their friends and other people, but their actions must not influence them. You start with such talks when the kid is at the age of two, however, in a mature manner.
Block Porn on the Computer
Even after the kids understand everything, they are still kids. They might be able to control themselves and not search, but porn presents itself everywhere. You will see explicit content in the most innocent search results. They might be enticed to click such results to explore more. After all, such content and advertisements are created to attract clicks.
It’s most important that you learn how to block porn to ensure nothing gets through. They won’t view such things if they don’t get the opportunity. You have to carefully take care of more than one thing to completely clean your computer when you have the internet connected to it.
Know Their Friends
It all starts when they hear about it from a friend. After that, they discuss it more, and someone gives the idea of watching it. When even one of them watches it, he/she discusses it and makes others curious. It’s not that such a company is bad. It’s the company of every little boy and girl. They talk and share things. So, it’s important that you know every friend of your kids.
Children are innocent, but you don’t know what is going in their lives. Someone’s bad influence on the friends of your kids will also influence your kids. If possible, keep in touch with the parents of their friends and also talk to them about these things. They will teach their kids, and you will teach your kids. This way, all of them will stay away from any bad ideas.
Use Parental Control on Mobile Phones
Mobile phones are also a computer that is always in access to the kids. Just like the laptop or desktop, you also need to set some parental control on mobile phones. They can also connect to the internet and do everything a computer can. On top of that, it’s easier to hide it and its content. It is suggested to download FamiSafe app on the mobile phone before you give it to your kids. It will set some restrictions and allow you to monitor all their activities.
Apply Google Safe Search
For most people, Google is the internet. While this giant company does its best to provide the best user experience for everyone, it also can’t make the web fully safe. However, it has a feature called Safe Search that will filter out the explicit results.
This ensures that no matter what your kid searches, nothing inappropriate come through. It is a useful feature, but not completely reliable. You should apply other discussed parental apps and methods to block all kinds of pornographic material from your computer and use Google safe search on all browsers has an extra measure.
