The danger of pornography: attracted by a world of images in adolescence
With the arrival of adolescence the curiosity of our children about sexual issues is very great and they resolve it, them and them, exchanging doubts and experiences, unraveling meanings in Dictionaries and Encyclopedias and laughing nervously at the shocking situations that are told. A situation that other people take advantage of to do business, the pornography, at the cost of a stage as unstable as adolescence.
We can not forget the pressure of the environment that reigns in society: our adolescent children will be attracted by a world of images with a great power of suggestion. They are especially vulnerable to accept the sexuality models offered by the media precisely because they are beginning to look for that information.
Proven reality
Speak today pornography it is no longer a question that can be debated only from an ideological-moral or religious point of view, as it could have happened only a few years ago. From the formal study of such publications, we come to the confirmation of its constant tendency to induce and incite the practice of behaviors against sexual freedom, considered criminal by our Penal Code.
Pornography can create habit, it can change people, it can encourage many to bring their most brutal fantasies to reality. And in adolescents, it is also a dangerous source of disinformation about such an important aspect of their lives.
It is a maxim of education that children should not be given more information than they can handle. Just as algebra is not taught in Primary because children have not yet developed enough of their faculty of abstract thinking. As an expert writes: "When a child experiences a reality beyond his or her possibilities, he has no means to process it intellectually or emotionally." Then, he buries the experience in his unconscious, where he remains in the shadows, frightening him, possibly for the rest of his life. lifetime".
A generalized offer
We can not ignore the world around us and we can all see how there is a widespread offer of these products. News kiosks, sex-shops, X-rooms, television networks and the Internet do not care when offering sex. The distribution apparatus of pornography in Spain is very large. Every year hundreds of magazines, videos, comics, etc. are published. In all the big cities there are zones of kiosks where the main offer is pornography.
The offer is very varied and the control impossible. Anyone can acquire all kinds of products of this type, whatever their content and the situation of the buyer. Only access is difficult, which is not impossible, for children under 16, and all depending on the good view or the scruples of the seller. Because, in addition, the purchasing power of adolescents has grown tremendously.
Influential public
Adolescents, because of their sexuality at the beginning and training, become a very vulnerable and easily influential sector of the population. They are in full training stage and should not have access to all kinds of movies and magazines. Maybe we think that our children do not "consume" material classified as X, but many films, television series and magazines offer clearly pornographic images with attractive wrappings.
On the Internet, for example, a study of purchases made with credit cards revealed that most were made to acquire "adult content," that is, a euphemism for pornography. Do not forget that the most visited Internet pages have content of this type and that, in addition, they use innocent or attractive names and addresses so it is not difficult to fall into one of them, even by chance.
Attentive!
A misunderstood liberalism makes all these products available to boys and girls who can be "marked" by some images or a vision of human sexuality devoid of its most important characteristics such as respect, commitment, donation, etc. . The children look for information before their doubts and when they reach adolescence they should have had a good explanation. In fact, it is very advisable to have it before age 12, leaving the channels open for later talks.
As a result of their physical changes, especially of their sexual organs, they are especially sensitive to sensitive stimuli; and pornography has no other meaning than excitement. We should not be afraid to enter subjects such as masturbation at these ages, discarding the fear of shame since, for example, it is something that you will most certainly discuss with your classmates and friends. And, from whom do we want to receive that information?
Tips to stop the search for Internet pornography
- At home, it may be interesting that computers with Internet are located in the classroom or in a room that everyone uses.
- Many parents are helped by Internet filters so that your children can not access pornographic sites. To others that their children know that they will consult the history of the visited pages. They are not definitive solutions, but it is a way to face problems.
- We have to keep in mind that pornographic videos are a most dangerous material that the magazines: because it supposes a greater premeditation and because its influence multiplies.
However, surprising a child with a pornographic publication is not the end of the world. True, it has received damage, but we are still in time to remedy it by conversation with him at the right time, better than hot. Most likely you feel embarrassed because you know it is wrong and from there you can build a good sex education.
Ricardo Regidor
Advice: Guillermo Cánovas. Director of EducaLIKE
