We know there is an online porn epidemic right now that is affecting our children.

It’s quantifiable and documented. It was on the front page of Time.

It’s specifically affecting young males. They’re reaching the ages of 18, 19, or 20 years old and they’re unable to have a functioning sex life with a partner, because starting at ages 12, 13, or 14 they had unfettered access to graphic and brutal imagery.

Unfettered access.

They can just pull their phones out and look at whatever they want whenever they want.

This is not the porn of the 1980s and 1990s. It’s far different than what you remember growing up. It is graphic and brutal, and every year of the porn companies are ratcheting it up.

They are in competition for dollars, and they’re getting the attention of our children.

That means when our children are reaching these critical pre-teen ages, they’re the most at risk.

Watching these videos and looking at these images, over time, physically rewires the neural pathways in the brain. That’s why they’re unable to have a normal functioning sex life with a partner later on.

This is real. It is happening. And we’re just seeing the tip of the iceberg right now.

Don’t Make This About You

I was reminded the other day when I was in Texas of how uncomfortable this conversation can be for some parents. They don’t want to talk to their kids about porn or they may not get it. It’s icky.

I get it. It is uncomfortable. But it might just be the second most uncomfortable conversation you have with your child.

And for a lot of parents, there’s this level of shame for them too. I’ve heard this from a lot of folks. They’re uncomfortable with their own sexuality or what they look at online. Or maybe porn has been an issue in their lives or their marriages.

Tough.

Parents have to compartmentalize that and handle this issue for their kids.

Set that aside. Whatever it is. Remember, we are talking about children. We are not talking about what adults do behind closed doors. That is none of my business.

The Solution

So, how are they going to talk to your children about porn? Easy. You need to follow Dr. Megan Maas.

Megan is a Sacramento State grad, who is currently a professor at Michigan State University.

She is the leading source of information on this topic.

Please follow her. Watch her videos. Read her blog. Engage with her social media.

Her tools can help you have the conversation. She can help you understand what’s going on with your kids and she can help you make sense of it. She can help you start the dialogue. She can help you parent.

Begin by visiting www.MeganMaas.com.

Use the research that she has done as a guide. Talk to your children about this issue so they don’t get swept up in this epidemic, so they can have a normal, healthy sex life later in life.

Thomas Dodson

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