(ThySistas.com) The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children did an online victimization survey which revealed that only a small percentage of kids purposely seek out pornography, and most respond appropriately by quickly leaving the site, yet very few report such incidents to parents. Youth can easily be exposed to sexually explicit content online easily through a misdirected Google search, even with an innocent word such as “toy“, a misleading website or email, a link or photo sent by a peer or spam, or a misspelled word or URL.
According to The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children:
· The average age of first exposure to porn is ten. Some statistics say younger.
· 90% of eight to 16 year olds have viewed porn online
· 80% of 15 to 17 year olds have view hard core porn
· Four out of five 16 year olds regularly access porn online
While sex is a natural part of a healthy, consenting, adult relationship, watching pornography can be very desensitizing and addictive – especially for younger minds.
If you learn or even suspect your teen is watching porn:
1. Remain emotionally neutral. While it is easier said than done, it is 
important that you take time to diffuse your own feelings and calm down prior to speaking with you child. When parents come across too emotional or angry, teens are less likely to listen or share their experiences with you. This also leads to feelings of shame and guilt revolving around sex.
2. Talk in positive terms. Show your teen you have their best interest in mind by assisting them in setting goals rather than only enforcing punitive rules. We reside in an oversexed society with very unhealthy attitudes regarding sex. Encourage your teen to see sex as a positive aspect of a healthy relationship.
3. Normalize the situation. Reduce your teens shame and fear by assuring them that their sexual feelings are not innately bad, but should be expressed in another way. You do not want to make your teen feel dirty or perverted for being sexually curious or aroused by viewing sexual imagery. Such feelings may lead teens into sneaking around and exploring their sexuality in other ways.
4. Ask them if they have any questions. Show your teen you aren’t afraid of speaking to them about sex and that you are willing to talk, help, and answer and questions they may have. Ask questions like “Is there anything that you saw that was confusing?” or “Did you see anything that scared you?” to help guide the conversation. While this part may be uncomfortable, pretend that it is and be prepared to answer any questions your teen may have.
5. Explain your boundaries and enforce them moving forward. After you have had a calm, informative, and open discussion about sex and pornography with your teen and answered their questions, it is not time for you to go over the rules again. If you did not previously install parental controls on all the devices in your home, now is the time to do so. Make sure porn is not available to your teen in your home!
Have you dealt with a teen viewing pornography as a parent? Is there any wisdom or an experience you would like to share? If you have not dealt with this issue as a parent, have you thought about how you would handle this situation if it came up? Share your insight below!
Staff Writer; Dina Tuff
333rd Eye Healing Temple
Reconnecting Consciousness to Magick
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