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Kids Online: Protecting Your Children in Cyberspace
Chapter 4
SHEDDING LIGHT ON THE
DARKNESS OF PORNOGRAPHY
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"Donna's book is a powerful tool for parents who want to keep
kids safe. Kids are so vulnerable when they're alone online. We need
to know about the lurking dangers so we can protect them. "
Leeza Gibbons
What are the myths surrounding pornography?
How does pornography harm children?
What are the connections between
pornography and sexual addiction?
What are the warning signs of sexual disturbance in children?
Shedding Light On the Darkness of Pornography
- Depending on the explicitness of the material, children can
be harmed when they are confronted with sexually graphic speech
and/or photos. Most adults recognize that exposing children to
pornography is harmful. It gives them their first messages about
sex without adult supervision or moral guidance.
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- Public indifference to pornography is frequently rooted in ignorance
of the facts. In this chapter, you will find more research notes,
studies, and statistics than in other chapters. Additionally,
I want to bring to light credible evidence that will dispel the
myths of pornography, particularly the myth that pornography is
a victimless crime.
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- The Myths of Pornography
- Myth #1-Obscenity Is a Matter of Opinion
- Myth #2-Obscenity Is Protected by the First Amendment
- Myth #3-Pornography Is Harmless Entertainment
- Myth #4-Pornography Reduces Dangerous Impulses
- Myth #5-If Legalized, Pornography Will Be Less in Demand and
Sex Crimes Will Decrease
- Myth #6-You Can't Legislate Morality
- Myth #7-Viewing Pornography Is a Choice-Don't Buy It
- Myth #8-It's Not the Sex in Pornography That's the Problem;
It's the Violence
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- How Pornography Harms Children
- Exposure to Pornography Threatens to Make Children Victims of
Sexual Violence
- Pornography's Relationship to Rape and Sexual Violence
- Pornography's Relationship to Child Molestation
- Exposure to pornography frequently leads to behavior resulting
in sexual illness, unplanned pregnancies and sexual addiction.
- Exposure to Pornography Promotes Desensitization
- Exposure to Pornography May Incite Children to Act Out Sexually
against Other Children
- Exposure to Pornography Shapes Attitudes and Values
- Exposure to Pornography Interferes with a Child's Development
and Identity
- Pornography's Progressive Pattern
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- Dr. Victor Cline, a clinical psychologist at the University
of Utah and a specialist in the area of sexual addictions, has
observed a four-step syndrome common to almost all of his clients
who have been involved with pornography.
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- The Symptoms of Sexual Disturbance among Children
- Sexual Preoccupation
- Age-Inappropriate Sexualized Behavior
- Age-Inappropriate Partners
- Coercion
- Paraphilias
- Helping Children Deal with Trauma Inflicted by Pornography
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- The best way to reduce the suffering of a child traumatized
by pornography on the Internet (or by any other medium) is to
prevent pornography from entering the child's life. In chapters
5, 6, and 7, we will look at some prevention tactics and technological
solutions.
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- This section of the books includes a recommended strategy if
you think your child has been abused, traumatized, or sexually
exploited while on the Internet. The following is a short version
of this strategy:
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- This is a dark chapter because pornography in cyberspace casts
a dangerous shadow on our children. Most of us find it difficult
to talk to our children about sex in general, let alone the harmful
effects of pornography, as described in this chapter. We want
to protect the innocence and purity of childhood for as long as
possible. Yet children need to know why certain rules about the
computer and their access to the Internet exist. They may be less
likely to violate the rules if they are told the truth about why
they are not allowed to see everything on the Internet. In the
next chapter we will look at how we can begin to educate our children
about protecting themselves from dangers in cyberspace.
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