Parents and schools need to do more to combat porn’s influence
NZ Herald 8 March 2017
Family First Comment: Not only the responsibility of parents and schools. The government needs to step up with filtering and policies to support and back up parents.
Parents and schools need to do more to combat the pervasive influence pornography has on young people, according to a visiting Australian expert.
Maree Crabbe, who studies the effects of cyber bullying, sexting and pornography, told hundreds of parents at a workshop at Otago Boys’ High School auditorium last night that pornography was giving young people a “distorted view” of what was normal.
By far the majority of young people had been exposed to pornography online by the age of 16 and, increasingly, porn was becoming the main source of sex education, Ms Crabbe said.
“They are even creating it themselves, using the sorts of devices that young people have access to every day.”
Worryingly, pornography was becoming increasingly aggressive and often included degrading and violent acts against women.
This was changing many young people’s attitudes and expectations towards sex and giving people a “distorted view” of what was normal.
“It’s a pretty disturbing model of normal.”
There was also evidence pornography consumption was linked with violence against women.
To combat its influence, schools and parents needed to talk to their children about pornography, even if it was “awkward”.
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