Originally posted on Protect Young Minds
Are you confident that your kids are safe online at school? Will they be exposed to pornography on school devices? Do you trust that your kids’ teachers and administrators have policies in place to handle this problem?
Think again.
In the days of mobile devices, complete protection from pornography at school has become an impossibility, underscoring the need for young kids to install their own internal filter. They need to know how to recognize it and how to react.
One mom, Lydia, shared the following story with me about her three elementary school age daughters. Two of them were exposed to pornography at school, and one of them helped her classmate who was being shown pornography at home. Lydia’s story is becoming all too common. I share it with permission:
My Kids Were Exposed to Porn at Their School
Because some of my friends were sharing the book Good Pictures Bad Pictures: Porn-Proofing Today’s Young Kids on Facebook last fall, I read it and learned that the most common age for kids to begin looking at pornography is between the ages of seven and 13. And some kids as young as seven need treatment for a full-blown addiction!
The picture you see here is of my three older daughters, now ages 9, 11, and 13. All three encountered pornography at elementary school in 3rd or 4th grade.
My Oldest Saw Porn in 4th Grade at School
The oldest is pictured on the right. She was in 4th grade, using a school computer when an inappropriate image popped up on the screen. Because we had discussed the dangers of pornography at home and taught her the CAN DO Plan™, she knew how to recognize it and how to react. She immediately turned off the computer and told her teacher what had happened. The school responded by increasing their already substantial filtering software.
My Second Daughter Recognized a Dangerous Situation
My second daughter, pictured on the left, has never seen a pornographic image but knew how to help a girl at school who had. When she was in 3rd grade, she overheard a girl tell her friend that her dad made her watch videos of naked people. Because we had discussed the dangers of pornography at home, she knew how to recognize it and how to react. She told her teacher and the school responded by addressing the needs of the student and putting a stop to the abuse.
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Two Lessons Learned
We learn two things from this last example.
- First, there’s a huge difference between the way children react who are taught how to recognize pornography and the way they react when they are not prepared.
- Second, adults can either ignore pornography or address the issue with clear guidelines.
