Another “posts previews of her racy content on Snapchat and Instagram (on which she has some 126,000 followers), with emojis covering parts of her naked body. She is careful to avoid terminology, such as ‘sex’ and ‘nude,’ and images that could lead to her account being flagged or removed.”
Be Wise as Serpents to Combat Porn
Despite the severity of this epidemic (and porn is a serious threat to girls and boys), this post isn’t intended as fearmongering. Nor am I trying to promote the idea that social media is inherently evil. Rather, this is a wakeup call to parents. We must be vigilant about investing in our relationships with kids.
Parents need to start conversations about sex and internet use early and often. Filters are helpful. But they aren’t enough to combat porn and prevent access to it. (Interestingly, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed an anti-porn bill into law in March 2021. It requires all phones, computers, and devices sold in the state to eventually come with pre-installed porn-filtering software.)
It’s impossible for parents to control everything their children do. (Nor should they want to.) And it’s impossible to control every avenue through which kids might encounter porn. They might see it on a friend’s phone. It could be on a magazine in the street while you’re taking a family walk. (That happened to someone I know.)
But instead of panicking and clamping down on teens’ activities, parents can take important steps. Educate themselves. Pursue their kids’ hearts. Disciple them in the area of sexuality. Diligently pray for them. And “be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16).
For more information about how to combat porn, I highly recommend the “A Parent’s Guide to Pornography” bundle from Axis. You can find here.
Additional resources to combat porn are available from the National Center on Sexual Exploitation. (Fair warning that some information is disturbing.) Also check out Defend Young Minds, Fight the New Drug and Covenant Eyes.
What tips and resources do you recommend to help combat porn?
