Pornography is often identified as one of the biggest downsides to the internet, especially with it becoming easily accessible to kids. You can try all you want, but sooner or later, your young ones are definitely going to stumble upon it, or even go searching for it. The best thing for you to do as a parent is to prepare yourself to take on the odds so that you have a realistic chance of keeping your kids from getting addicted to porn and suffering the consequences.
Get Your Hands on Parental Control Software
Thanks to parental control software, keeping an eye on kids’ use of Internet has become really easy now. Since cyber space is one of the main sources of getting access to porn material, it makes a lot of sense to use a tool like SecureTeen to keep tabs on how kids use their internet privileges. Parental control software lets you check the websites visited by your youngsters and allow you to block content you deem inappropriate. Of course, kids would know that you are monitoring their devices, thus discouraging them from visiting porn websites or downloading it on their mobile phone or computer.
Watch Teens without making it Too Obvious
Do not fully rely on monitoring software. Keep your eyes open all the time without making your kids feel that you are watching their every move. Keep an eye on the television programs and videos they are watching, and games they are playing, as they may also contain inappropriate content. You should also make sure that your youngsters keep good company as bad company is a major reason behind attraction and eventually addiction to porn. Ask your teens to keep their door open during the day. Do check on them after every few hours without making them feel that you are checking on them. Teens will know that you can come to their room, so they will think twice before opening something inappropriate on their computer or mobile phone. If you feel that your kids are spending too much time alone at home or with friends, then fully investigate the reason behind it as chances are that they may already have gotten interested in porn.
Discuss the Consequences of Watching Pornography
Monitoring the electronic devices and doing helicopter parenting is not the ultimate solution. The truth is that you cannot monitor teen 24/7, so apart from taking the above-mentioned steps; you should make them convince that watching pornography can be harmful for them in the long run. Most of the parents consider it really awkward and somewhat embarrassing to talk about these sensitive topics, but this is something you have to do no matter how difficult it seems. You may start by sharing any incident or news, and then switch to the main topic. Another best way is to do this talking alone. Father may talk to the son and mother can talk to the daughter about consequences of watching porn.
Research indicate that on average, kids at the age of 9 come across porn, which is why it is better to talk about it as early as possible. There is no need of going into the details. Just make them understand that even though these things look attractive, they are all fake and inappropriate, and that nice kids don’t view such things. If your kids are mature enough, you may even discuss the moral, social and psychological consequences of porn. Talk to them normally, so that they may also not feel ashamed.
Keep them Busy
One of the most effective ways of keeping kids away from porn is to keep them busy. You may get them to invest more time in things that they enjoy, like sports or some hobby for instance. It would also be a great idea to spend quality time with them, asking them about their day and if they learned or saw something interesting lately. Get them to spend their time productively. You can even involve them in decision-making, instilling in them a sense of responsibility and importance, so that they don’t sit idle and become tempted to explore the evils of internet.
There is no denying the fact that shielding kids from porn is akin to fighting an uphill battle. But you should remain steadfast and committed to the goal. Your efforts would surely not go to waste.
