The Porn Talk

This month, I've been working on an Internet safety program for parents of children and youth. I know the subject of sexual predators on the Internet gets a lot of ink and TV time. However, the issue that leads some kids to taking sexual risks is often ignored. That is Internet pornography.

There was a news release out this week from the Adult Entertainment Market Research Company that claims a large increase in the number of people signing up on Internet pornography sites. In fact, they link the increase to the economic stimulus checks that were distributed this spring.

Hiding our heads in the sand and ignoring Internet pornography will not make it go away. It is time we face it directly and acknowledge the effects it has on children. ThePornTalk.com is a website with a lot of resources to help us address the issue of pornography with our children. They suggest we begin these discussions when kids are in the 6-10 year range. You may think this is too early, but remember, the average age of the first exposure to internet pornography is 11.