Easy access to porn must be part of online-safety discussions with kids during the COVID-19 pandemic, says Culture Reframed

BOSTON, April 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- With many families staying home during the COVID-19 crisis and with kids having 24/7-hour access to tablets, laptops and smart phones, now more than ever Culture Reframed says it's time for parents to have frank discussions with their kids about viewing habits, online safety, and, yes, pornography. Culture Reframed is the first non-profit organization to build resilience and resistance to hypersexualized media and porn. The organization offers expert guidance, conversation scripts, resources and tips to educate and empower parents to "Talk with your children about porn before the porn industry does" with its new, free online Program for Parents of Teens.

Information on online safety and technology for tweens and teens is everywhere, yet the topic of easy access to porn is rarely addressed. During these times of quarantine, teens use their phones for entertainment, distraction and, yes, for viewing porn. Teens and tweens as young as 10 (the average age kids get their first phones in the US) are a swipe away from free hardcore porn; 50% of parents underestimate how much porn their teens have seen.

The goal of the Program for Parents of Teens is to furnish parents with the education, skill set, and confidence to have the first of many courageous talks with their kids. It will also teach parents how to recognize and respond to the role pornography can play in sexual violence, unhealthy relationships, negative self-image, sexual dysfunction, depression, sexually transmitted infections, injuries and other issues.

"The conversation needs to happen and Culture Reframed can help with tips, research-driven, age-based educational videos, downloads and conversational scripts for parents," says Dr. Gail Dines, founder & president of Culture Reframed. "Porn serves as the major form of sex education for millions of kids worldwide and can affect kids' view of sex and relationships. Kids are learning through porn that degradation, humiliation, and violence are now normalized sexual acts. This is why parents need to talk to their kids about porn and the effects it could have on their relationships before the pornographers do. Our free online programs educate parents and empower them, while also promoting teens' healthy sexual, emotional and cognitive development."

The Program for Parents of Teens was created by a panel of experts in public health, adolescent psychology, sexual health education, neuroscience and technology, and is being offered at no cost to parents and other concerned adults. The program is available at https://parents.culturereframed.org/course/parents-of-teens/

Culture Reframed provides education and resources to parents and other adults to help raise young people in an environment of 24/7 digital access to hypersexualized media and hardcore porn.

Over 40 years of empirical, peer-reviewed research has shown that viewing pornography has multiple medical, social, and educational effects on children and youth that undermine healthy development. Research also has shown that one of the most effective strategies for reducing risky behaviors among children and youth is building the knowledge, skills, and confidence of parents and caregivers. 

About Culture Reframed

Culture Reframed is the first nonprofit organization to recognize and address hypersexualized media and pornography as "the public health crisis of the digital age." The mission of Culture Reframed is to build resilience and resistance to hypersexualized media and porn and to educate and empower parents and other adults to talk with children about the harms of pornography before the porn industry does. Founded by internationally renowned scholar and activist Dr. Gail Dines, Culture Reframed is supported by a multidisciplinary team of experts and scholars who are helping to build the public's capacity to deal with mainstream hardcore pornography.

Contact: 
Annmarie Seldon 
AMS Communications
617-448-7416

SOURCE Culture Reframed

Related Links

https://www.culturereframed.org