Family Problems & Adolescent Behavioral Issues. What To Do if Your Child is Viewing Pornography

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One of the most challenging aspects of helping a youth involved in pornography is getting them to talk about it. Most feel a huge sense of shame related to their behavior. Thus hiding and keeping pornography viewing a secret is one factor that prolongs the use and could be a stepping stone leading to other problematic behaviors.

Parents before you begin first examine you own attitudes about your child using pornography. If you are thinking that your son´s pornography viewing is an acceptable pathway to manhood, or the other extreme that viewing pornography makes my child a pervert who will never have the morals to reach his potential is an overstatement on both counts. Your attitude about pornography can be the difference in your ability to getting your child to talk. If you are of the belief that pornography is an acceptable sexual outlet, then be more aware of the risks to do potential harm to a young developing mind. On the other hand, if you are worried that your child will never be able to have a normal relationship due to their exposure to pornography, then understanding that children are resilient and can go on to have happy and healthy relationships with the proper parent and/or profession intervention.

Parents already know more about your child than most will ever know. By paying attention to the subtle cues in behavior your child presents, can help a parent to know if their child is being dishonest, overwhelmed, embarrassed, etc. and then tailor your approach to meet the situation.

Most kids don´t like the idea that looking at excessive viewing pornography as a socially acceptable outlet. With this thought in mind, most kids have some need are to change but don´t know how. Parents can use this to their advantage when confronting pornography usage. A supportive approach can be more effective getting your child to open up rather than focusing on punishment. Kids are more likely to talk about their problems if they feel safe. Building trust and maintaining confidentiality is key to getting your child to open up. Try not to get frustrated if your child doesn´t talk about everything they have viewed. Often kids want to manage their personal risk of feeling rejection or disappointing parents by gradually talking about their pornography usage a little bit at a time. Being supportive but letting your child know they can´t avoid the issues seems to be the most useful.

Letting the child know you are aware of them viewing pornography is usually a good beginning. Let them know your concerns about their behavior and you want to help them. Talk with them about what might trigger them using pornography and developing strategies to avoid it. Keep in mind, triggers are more often associated with emotions than just physical sexual arousal. Emotions such as feeling loneliness, stress, tired, frustration, depression, anxiety, can be linked to using pornography.

Too often kids are confused about what they are experiencing by viewing pornography. Having a discussion about healthy sexuality can be useful in getting your child open up. Use the opportunity to teach your child about healthy sexuality.

Our world has changed. The material children are exposed to today verses pre-internet days are very different. It has transitioned from nude pictures to pornography dealing with themes of violence, children, animals, pain and suffering, bondage, live sex acts, and so on. Additionally, pornography is easily accessible by computer, cell phone, television, video games, and magazines.

And finally, if your child continues to use pornography despite your effort to quit see professional help. For more ideas visit BirdseyeRTC.com