Pornography risks should be taught to children as young as five, say parents

[alp227]

No, this is NOT referring to that South Park episode, but rather a survey of British parents:

Many parents believe schools should teach children about the dangers of pornography as soon as they are old enough to use the internet, a survey suggests.

It reveals that the majority of parents do not want it to be left to them alone to educate their youngsters about the issue, and a large proportion think pupils as young as five or six should be given lessons on the subject.

Russell Hobby, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), which conducted the poll, said many young people were exposed to explicit materials online and on mobile phones, and needed to know how to cope.

The survey, which questioned about 1,000 parents, found that six in 10 are worried, or very worried, about their children seeing violent or sexual material on the web. But the poll also reveals that the majority (80%) of are confident in protecting their children online.

[Live and Learn]

1. I don't think a five year old would understand pornography

if they did see it.

[Half-Century Man]

8. Thats kinda the point.

Think please everyone.
1st: In an pedophilia relationship someone is an adult. In order to protect our children from adults like that, we need to teach our children to recognize said adults.
2nd: Things we see and that we see our parents do influence us through our entire lives. And some porn confuses the hell out of some adults. If our children had some tools to cope with the (more often that not) idiocy of adults, the idiocy of adults in the next generation can be reduced. After all spousal abuse is a learned skill.

[Pelican]

24. New plan.. let them be five...

... as opposed to freaking out that a pedophile might be behind every tree.

Holy Christ people.. This really is a South Park episode...

[HappyMe]

25. Yeah. Little kids should be

playing with their friends, coloring, building stuff with Legos.....

I don't think starting a kid out really early staring at a screen is the way to go.

[Dash87]

50. +1

[Dash87]

49. I totally agree. Why would a 5 yr old be using the Internet alone anyways?

I couldn't until I was around 10, and it was heavily filtered using AOL filtering tools. I didn't mind, as long as I could go on the Nickelodeon website. I certainly wasn't allowed to chat with adults.

[Half-Century Man]

56. New Plan 2.2

I never said teach the children fear. Teaching fear leads to the sort of shit we have now.
I said make tools available, make more sophisticated tools available as the age increases.
The best tool is attentive parents, no internet or TV until 5 years old. Play with your children, both your and their lives will be richer. Remember, these are the people who will pick your retirement home someday.

[Pelican]

58. All well and good...

Being an attentive parent and playing with your children fall neatly in the category of "duh."

They have nothing to do with what you said though...

1st: In an pedophilia relationship someone is an adult. In order to protect our children from adults like that, we need to teach our children to recognize said adults.

2nd: Things we see and that we see our parents do influence us through our entire lives. And some porn confuses the hell out of some adults. If our children had some tools to cope with the (more often that not) idiocy of adults, the idiocy of adults in the next generation can be reduced. After all spousal abuse is a learned skill.

I have no idea what the second one even means...

[Half-Century Man]

99. I was in a hurry and failed to explain myself.

The British survey indicated parents were in favor of some sort of education regarding porn as soon as children began using the internet. I agree with that, the internet has many pitfalls only some of them are sexual (Tea Party Sites). However there are a couple of issues I want to address.

Rehash of point 1: Dangerous adults, an adult can pose both a danger and a solution in cases of pedophilia. As Parents we need to give our children safe age appropriate ways of understanding, dealing with and reporting suspicious adult behavior. As second tier caregivers (teachers, neighbors, grandparents, etc), we need to do the same in regards to child/parent cases (the worst case scenario).

Rehash of Point 2: Porn out of context, persons without sexual curiosity (not the noticing of body differences, the urges associated with reaching a level of sexual maturity), I think would find the visuals of porn confusing. What looks violent may not be. The things adults do for completely acceptable reasons, can look weird. How can a child accept the don't bite rule confronted by pictures of love biting. I am concerned because a great deal of porn looks like naked pro-wrestling. If a child doesn't understand that pro-wrestling is fake, the potential for learning sex as only violent sex is increased. As a bit of empirical evidence I offer, that spousal abuse runs in families, the children learn it from observing their parents interacting.

I hope I cleared up my message.

[DonCoquixote]

2. I owuld rather they become skeptical of stuff like religion

Religion kills more people than pron ever could.

[demwing]

7. why even bring that up?

what does it add to the OP?

[Dorian Gray]

14. really?

total non-sequitor

[zerosumgame0005]

79. well, if you are going to teach about porn

why not include the most popular snuff/kiddie/rape porn book of all time?

[Tseko]

3. I don't think children as young as five should be using the Internet alone.

Let alone learning about pornography.

And if you're going to be teaching children of that age about pornography, wouldn't that also include sex education?

Could children at that age even comprehend sex? They're still playing doctor and exploring their bodies, trying to understand girl bits and boy bits.

[redqueen]

19. Too many adults are oblivious.

Kids are exposed to porn by friends, or in public (adults consuming it with no regard for anyone around them), etc.

It's not just pictures of pornily posed women anymore.

[snooper2]

61. the porn is everywhere!

You see people out in public watching porn on their smartphones?





Luckily there are self help groups out there

[opiate69]

76. "pornily" posed!

[redqueen]

78. Yes. Posing in a caricaturized version of female sexuality.

Posing in a way that we've been condiioned to not recognize as ridiculous when women do it, but when men are posed that way, we see the ridiculousness immediately.

Caricaturization, objectification, and dehumanization are all linked. But I know you don't give half a shit about any of that.

[opiate69]

80. Derp..

for someone who fancies themselves as soooo intelligent, one might think you would be familiar with words such as "pornographically", "suggestively", "obscenely", or a host of others, and wouldn't need to resort to making up words like a 5th grader.

[d_b]

4. stay away from the pay sites, kids

all the good porn can be found free of charge if you look hard enough.

[Atman]

12. You don't have to look very hard.

I obtain from any "hard" jokes.

[d_b]

47. :p

[Turbineguy]

5. And just what

do "Head Teachers" teach?

[HiPointDem]

6. school? teach young children about pornography? to me that seems nuts.

[alphafemale]

9. How would you educate a 5 year old about pornography without exposing them to pornoraphy?

Bizarre.

[surrealAmerican]

10. It's hardly the only disturbing thing a young child could find on the Internet.

It might be more useful to teach them how to find what they are looking for.

[Warren Stupidity]

11. All right, I'll ask the obvious question, what exactly are the dangers of pornography?

[Atman]

13. Nooo! You're going to release the militant swarm!

[Dorian Gray]

16. For adults?

Porn Creep

For children? the answer is much more serious and potentially damaging.

[Warren Stupidity]

17. For anyone. And please document the objective harm.

[Dorian Gray]

21. Porn Creep

is real! Beware the porn creep!

But seriously, children should be protected from viewing porn. Especially the crazy varieties on the internet. Especially the availability of child porn.

Studies? Do your really need studies to prove that viewing something of that nature would be problematic for children? One of the obvious problems would be that viewing child pornography at a young age actually conditions a child to believe that such sexual behavior is a normal expression. It can groom a child for a sexual relationship.

I mean, how would one do an actual study on children of five and the affects of pornography on them? Would you sign your kid up for that?

A quick perusal took me to this site: http://www.protectkids.com/effects/harms.htm

It mentions a few different studies, but mostly with older children.

[Major Nikon]

91. I always wondered what happened to Donna Rice

[opiate69]

98. Apparently, she found Jeebus..

(or, refound him or something.. ) and has been palling around with the usual right-wind fundy suspects (Judith Reisman, et al)...

[DanTex]

31. Well, I can't document any objective harm, but I still think it is harmful.

Especially for children.

Not sure what can be done about it, but that doesn't mean it's not a problem.

[Warren Stupidity]

33. It might be harmful, but other than teaching unsubstantiated bullshit, what are these teachers

going to teach? IMHO this is a parental issue and should not be "taught" in any classroom.

[DanTex]

35. Yeah I don't know what good teaching will do.

Like you say, what are they going to teach? About porn to 5-year olds?

And it could easily morph into some kind of "sex is bad" or "masturbation makes you blind" thing.

I think it is a complicated topic, and I don't know what the answers are. It's kinda too bad that on DU it doesn't seem possible to have a nuanced and non-polarized discusion.

[HappyMe]

36. I agree.

Other than a sex ed class (around 6th or 7th grade) I don't think teachers should be saying anything about porn in the classroom. I think it's a parent's job.


edit to add - I also agree with wht DanTex said in post 35. This comes dangerously close to a 'sex is bad, be ashamed' kind of thing.

[Whisp]

53. maybe just telling kids that bodies and people aren't pieces of meat

and introducing them to the difference between people caring for each other and having sex and people that rut and do stupid things and stick things in their stupid holes just to entertain other stupid people.

[geek tragedy]

26. I agree. 5 -13 year olds viewing BDSM porn will only promote healthy

views on sexuality. No harm possible.

[redqueen]

28. It's pointless. Those that give a shit know. Others have their heads firmly planted in the sand

and no matter how many times you patiently explain that kids see this stuff in other places besides on their family computers at home with mommy and daddy... or that porn today is much worse than just posed, objectified 'women arefor sex' male-gaze pandering images... they will still pretend they simply don't get it.

[Warren Stupidity]

34. I just asked for objective evidence of harm.

[Dash87]

52. I don't think that's common - especially with supervision.

A 5 year old does not need to learn about porn. They can be protected from it by using filtering. That's what my patents did with me. The Internet is a dangerous tool, and like with anything, it requires supervision.

[Warren DeMontague]

81. Just *imagine* if they witnessed a straw man screwing a red herring.... on a slippery slope!

What would happen in that circumstance??? The mind shudders, so verily we must take extremely specific action to guard against that particular possibility, the extremely specific action being griping about porn on a political message board.

[geek tragedy]

85. A straw man screwing a red herring on a slippery slope . . .

such as the great feminist/social conservative plot to ban naked breasts?

[Warren DeMontague]

92. No

That's what's known as a deflection.

[msanthrope]

86. That's the Cum Hoc Fallacy.

To the jury---no, seriously, that's an actual fallacy....

http://www.logicalfallacies.info/presumption/cum-hoc/

[Warren DeMontague]

93. That's-a-why I love-a the DU.

I learn-a something new a-every day.

[msanthrope]

94. I had to do something with my liberal arts education--Latin puns. nt

[el_bryanto]

39. The problem with answering that question is that you are basically bringing out two scolds

Those who feel that pornography is dangerous and want to scold those who like it. Those who feel that anybody who thinks pornography is dangerous are scolds, and want to, well, scold the scolders.

Pornography does encourage the objectification of potential sexual partners. A real woman or man will have their own emotions and life things they are going through. A porn woman or man won't. And, particularly in immature folks, porn encourages unrealistic expectations.

Bryant

[Xithras]

67. It violates the western notion...

...that children shouldn't be exposed to sex.

One very eye opening thing for me, when I started visiting other countries and working with immigrants on various projects, was how well versed and open fairly young children tend to be about sex. It's often not a taboo subject at all. I was a bit shocked until someone pointed out to me that, in most of the world, entire families live in homes and apartments containing no more than one or two rooms. From birth on, most children see and hear their parents having sex on a regular basis. If they visit a friend, they may see the friends parents having sex. It's a normal thing for them.

Westerners, since the 1800's at least, tend to believe that children should be shielded from all-things sexual. Pornography violates that shield and upends a cultural norm.

[hootinholler]

70. Spyware installation? n/t

[Warren Stupidity]

95. That.

[JVS]

89. Pupil cancer.

[HappyMe]

15. This is kind of goofy.

For one thing, little kids shouldn't be on the internet by themselves. I don't think a 5 year old can spell enough words to even get very far on the internets.
Any little kid should be supervised by a parent if they are going to use the computer, and the parent should use the parental controls that are available on the computer.

[Dorian Gray]

18. I agree

If I thought it was a problem, I'd prefer to handle that education (at five years old) myself. But I don't think five year olds should be searching the internet on their own.

[JHB]

20. According to the article, this is supposed to be part of a more general sex ed program...

...("programme", I suppose, since it's about a British poll and their education system).

I'm not sure how possible that is in areas where "abstinence only" is what passes for the equivalent program.

[Dorian Gray]

22. ISn't this is the UK?

Do they generally teach abstinence only there?

[JHB]

23. The story is about the UK

I was thinking about how it probably be a bit harder to implement here in the US, without it being reduced to hare 'em scare 'em "Reefer Madness"-style uselesness.

[tridim]

27. Just say NO kids!!! To this forbidden, mysterious, exciting thing that I can't go into detail about.

[redqueen]

29. No need to be ridiculous. A simple general warning about the internet would work.

There are some sick, disturbed people out there, and they post a lot of stuff on the net for other sick, disturbed people. And once you see one of the images or videos those types of people post, you cannot unsee it.

That might keep a few kids away from the kid whose overly permissive or simply thoughtless parents haven't bothered to restrict the kids' phone access, who shows off the shit in school to his friends.

[Warren DeMontague]

82. "A simple general warning about the internet would work."

Yeah, it would.

But that wouldn't provide the sort of Gail Dines/Judith Reisman culture war point-making payoff that this thread is really about, now, would it?

[redqueen]

30. These discussions really make it clear who doesn't talk to their kids about what happens at school.

Five seems early to me, but this should happen before middle school. Before fifth/sixth grade actually.

[DanTex]

32. The question I would have is whether educating kids on the dangers of porn would do any good.

I guess it's worth a shot, but I don't think you're going to get 14 year old boys not to watch whatever porn they can get their hands on. And then there's the risk this will morph into some kind of "masturbation makes you blind" thing.

I guess it has to be done carefully.

[redqueen]

37. Have them read the sites where boys and men discuss not being able to get it up without porn.

How after years of using porn heavily, they were unable to function with a real woman. How hard it was for them to break the habit so they could have actual sex with another person.

Not all boys and men become so dependent on it, but that is one of the harms. The articles I've read by men who've tried to quit betray the claims that it's not addictive. Same thing goes for the hair on fire overreactions anytime anyone says anything critical of porn.

[DanTex]

45. OK. I don't think I would object to that.

Maybe starting at age 5 is a little young, but in middle school that would probably be OK.

I would object, though, to telling young boys that wanting to look at porn makes them bad people, which is where this could easily end up. There's always the risk that this sort of thing takes a turn towards puritanism and "Christian values".

[redqueen]

46. Fuck religion. Teach them that objectifying women is bad. That it's harmful.

Educate them about what it means so they don't grow up to be people who think it means treating women like furniture.

But honestly I wonder if older people are just too lost / brainwashed to even try to get it. I have more hope for younger people. I saw a young man, a high schooler, who had no idea about feminism and didn't give half a shit about it, who, after seeing just the trailer for Miss Representation, was out there raising awareness.

[woolldog]

55. You curse way too much.

It's very unladylike....

[redqueen]

60. You use shitty words like "unladylike". It's really fucking sexist. nt

[woolldog]

62. Your constant cursing is sleazy and low class.

There are also kids reading these boards. Think of the children.

[PeaceNikki]

64. You are a piece of work. " Think of the children?!" Are you shitting me?

[PeaceNikki]

63. FUCK that.

[Comrade Grumpy]

65. Please. Five-year-olds could be reading this. Stay classy.

[PeaceNikki]

73. lol

Yeah. Fuck them, too.

[msanthrope]

84. The five year olds? nt

[PeaceNikki]

87. yes, the five year olds who are reading a ridiculous sub-thread on DU. about porn.

[msanthrope]

90. Well, apparently they are getting exposed to porn somewhere!!! nt

[Orrex]

75. "Fuck" when used in that context is an exhortation of the patriarchy

[datasuspect]

38. porn is a rite of passage

i was checking out my dad's playboys and hustlers way before i could even spank.

[redqueen]

40. Yes. Gotta make sure kids know early which sex is the subject, and which is the object. nt

[datasuspect]

41. and sometimes a cigar is just a cigar

lighten up.

[redqueen]

42. LOL, "lighten up"... I prefer learning and understanding, thanks.

[datasuspect]

44. i like a feisty gal

[RC]

43. More bullshit people want the schools to teach because some parents are too embarrassed too.

When are the kids supposed to learn to read, write and do math, when the teacher is already too busy teaching to the test or be fired?
I can see the mandatory state test now: Which of these pictures is porn? A. B. C. D. E- All of the above.
How are you supposed to teach kids to avoid porn without examples so they know what they are supposed to avoid? Just what we need, legal porn in the classroom, so the kids 'know' it is supposed to be bad and not get curious about it at home. And what about the kid that starts asking questions, like why is that porn? Do those black things make it porn? Do they have to be blonde to be porn? When I take a bath, am I porn too? Or the kid that pipes up and says, "I know what is under those black things! I saw my mommy/daddy in the shower!" They must be porn too. Am I suppose to hide from them now?
But, more than likely, any examples will be censored pages cut from a Sports Illustrated, Swim Suit issue. That outta help'em to have a healthy view of their own sexuality when they get older.

This is just more prudish bullshit, brought to you by the "Sex is dirty and everyone must act like it is, because I do" crowd.

[kentauros]

48. First, they need to educate the adults on the differences between pornography

and eroticism. They could get Annie Sprinkle and Barbara Carellas to help educate them properly

[hunter]

54. The porn I saw as a little kid was either boring or yucky.

I also saw plenty of naked people of all ages in real life skinny dipping, breastfeeding babies, etc. The funniest thing I ever saw was my great grandma's mean old rooster chasing my naked grandpa. My great grandma was trying so hard not to burst into laughter but I can't help it, I still laugh whenever I think about it.

My dad's an artist, he draws naked people sometimes. If we had any questions about sex as kids, my mom would answer and my dad might draw a sketch.

I remember going to an art exhibit with my parents as a kid and one of the artists had created a display that was nothing but photographs of vaginas. (It was the 'sixties, and no, the exhibit was not restricted to adults.) I wonder if I couldn't find the artwork on the internet today, but I've no interest in seeing what bing images, safe search off, might dredge up.

My wife and I are not the hippies my parents were, but we've always been open and direct with our kids. There is no "secret knowledge" of sex.

Looking back to my own childhood I think that being knowledgeable about sex kept me out of a lot of trouble. The bullies in school might have called me "queer bait" but it seems likely sexual predators avoid kids like me because I'd have been telling a responsible adult exactly what had happened.

Before our kids had their own computers we had the family computer in the living room. (When they were in high school having their own computers was almost a necessity since they were both honors students doing a lot of writing.) There were occasional "oops" moments, but it was never a big deal.

Now that they are young adults I don't want to know about any porn they are looking at.

One of my sister's kids is an artist in San Francisco with a blog that would set a fundamentalist's hair on fire. Frankly the blog makes ME uncomfortable and my kids think it's amusing to see dad blush. But I know this sort of thing has been going on in my family for many generations. When my siblings and I were adults, my great aunt started telling us stories from her youth in roaring 'twenties Hollywood that made us blush.

[Addison]

66. cool memories, thanks for sharing

[Egalitarian Thug]

57. Just what are these "dangers of pornography"?

Excessively hairy hands, failing eyesight?

[datasuspect]

72. it could lead to self-abuse!!!!!!!!!!1111

[Art_from_Ark]

88. For the answer to that and other questions,

check out the final report of the Meese Porn Commission

http://cultronix.eserver.org/califia/meese/

[Egalitarian Thug]

97. Just between you and I, I'm not sure Edwin ever had any first-hand experience,

or rather first-hand was the limit of his experience.

[Apophis]

101. I hurt myself whacking it one too many times one day.

Otherwise, there's no porn danger for adults, unless you're a porn addict.

[Warren DeMontague]

59. I'm sure you could survey 1,000 parents and find some to say all manner of goofy shit.

How about this: Some things are for adults, and some are not. The internet is FULL of things that are not for kids.

Oh, and here's some links to net nanny software for your parents to install.

Anything else- and yes, it is- is thinly veiled religious right "culture war" moralizing.

[Demo_Chris]

68. Sex is an ugly private matter between god sanctioned married adult couples....

Of different sexes, for the purpose of procreation! It is a private matter between God, you, and the person you are doing it to!

Or something like that.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

69. Ugh....God's a perv

I hate when he's just being a creep off in the corner heavy breathing and shit.

[Demo_Chris]

71. Well, that's better than when the psycho is torturing and killing those who displease him. nt

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

74. "...sex is the most awful, filthy thing on earth and you should save it for someone you love."

"Life in Lubbock, Texas, taught me two things: One is that God loves you and you're going to burn in hell. The other is that - sex is the most awful, filthy thing on earth and you should save it for someone you love." Butch Hancock

[ForgoTheConsequence]

77. I don't have a problem with porn in theory.

But I do think there is a lot of porn out there that promotes abuse, pedophilia, misogyny, etc. I'm not for prohibition of anything really so I don't know what the answer is, but I think it starts by not hiding sexuality from your kids that seems to leads to complexes about themselves and other.

Teach them respect for their own sexuality and teach them to respect others. Call me old fashioned but I also believe that sex although not hidden should be taught as something special that belongs to you and should be on your terms. Its not something you should ever feel pressured to give away.

I think a healthy attitude also helps prevents abuse. IMO it leads to confidence in being able to speak out if someone is doing something that makes you uncomfortable.

[Warren DeMontague]

83. "It's WAY WORSE than what your parents had when they were growing up! It will make you impotent!

It causes date rape! It's addictive!"

wait, sorry, that's the crap drug warriors try to peddle off about pot.

Oh, well, same difference. Just replace "pot" with "porn", and carry on!

[opiate69]

96. Onward!!!!

[Warren Stupidity]

100. That airbrushed playboy centerfold I saw when I was 12 turned me into

the bitter old man I yam today.

O lord if only I hadn't looked.

[LittleBlue]

102. Parents: Don't do it, that's dangerous

What do you think the kids will do? First time they get a chance, they'll seek porn.

Let them figure out porn on their own, or at least wait until they're old enough that it's relevant.

[LostOne4Ever]

103. When I was 5

I avoided anything to do with romance or men and women kissing. Maybe most kids weren't like me, but if they were they would naturally avoid those types of websites and would think they were disgusting.

[Politicalboi]

105. It was called

Cooties!

[Politicalboi]

104. Can't kids access porn

With their cell phones. So if your 7 year old has a phone, or plays with another kids phone, they might wonder to porn sites. Google I Love Horses, and see what you get. It's the "real" love for horses, and kids unknowingly may see something real graphic innocently.