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SALT LAKE CITY -- The 9th annual conference, "Protecting Children and Families from Pornography and Other Harmful Materials," is coming up this weekend in Salt Lake City. This year it's shining the light on a lesser-known problem: porn-addicted teenagers.
Chair of the Utah Coalition Against Pornography, Pamela Atkinson, says the average age of first exposure to pornographic images is now 11. That's the average -- she says some children have been exposed as early as 2nd and 3rd grade.
"We know that children do have access, not only to soft porn," she says, "but also hard porn."
Saturday, March 27
9:00am - 1:00pm
Little America Hotel
Salt Lake City
But how do you know if your teen is addicted? Atkinson points to several warning flags.
"If a child's behavior changes, if their mood changes, if they want to be alone a lot, if they stay up at nighttime on the computer," Atkinson says, all of these are signs of a possible problem with porn.
According to the National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families, one in 17 children between the ages of 10 and 17 were threatened or harassed over the Internet in the year 2000, and 70 percent of sexual advances online happened while young people were online at home. The same organization says the largest consumer of Internet pornography is children and teens between the ages of 12 and 17.
79% of youth unwanted exposure to pornography occurs in the home (Online Victimization of Youth: Five Years Later, 2006).
Atkinson says the number one thing you should not allow at any cost is for your child or teen to surf the Internet in a secluded area. The computer with Internet access should be in an open area of the home where you can monitor what is happening.
She also recommends teaching your children not to panic or be ashamed if a pop-up ad with questionable content shows up on their screen, but to turn off the monitor and come get you.
The conference is set for Saturday, March 27 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Little America Hotel in Salt Lake City. Advance registration is closed, but you can pay $15 at the door and still attend the event.
[CLICK HERE] for more information about the conference.
E-mail: bbruce@ksl.com
