Common Sense Media just released the results of their survey of 1358 teens, ages 13-17, about their experience with online pornography. As many of you know, the topic of kids and porn exposure is one that frequently comes up in my work. Tweens and teens are curious about sex and since they spend so much time online these days, porn has a way of finding THEM, even when they are not actively seeking it out for themselves. Please take a look at this report. I won't give you too many spoilers, but Common Sense found the average age of first viewing porn to be 12, and 15% of respondents said they first viewed porn by age 10. 52% of respondents had seen violent porn, including depictions of rape, choking, or someone in pain. The majority had never talked with a trusted adult about porn. PLEASE have these conversations with your kids. I have linked in another blog post to some guidelines for conversations from Common Sense. Of course, as always, feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need guidance. I hear from concerned parents on the regular. Let's raise kids with good critical thinking skills and provide them with facts about bodies and sex, intimacy, pleasure and relationships, without shame or judgment, so they can grow up to have healthy adult sexual lives. You've got this!
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