Pornography fuels sex trafficking. A common justification for not protecting kids from pornography is “Well, I found my dad’s Playboy when I was a kid, and it’s really no different.” This comparison could not be further from the truth. The type of porn children and teens have access to today is graphic and violent video of sexual acts, not just nude photos. This has a much more negative impact on their development. We recommend all parents take action to protect their children from porn. The following is a short list of resources to help. We are not affiliated with any of the following. Please share with us what works best for your family!
Safe search engine for children: Kiddle http://www.kiddle.co/
Parenting Apps http://www.screenagersmovie.com/new-page-1/
- OurPact – Mobile guidance for your family, available for iOS and Android (Free, $1.99 for Premium)
- Netsmartz.org NetSmartz Workshop is an interactive, educational program of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC) that provides age-appropriate resources to help teach children how to be safer on- and offline. The program is designed for children ages 5-17, parents and guardians, educators, and law enforcement. With resources such as videos, games, activity cards, and presentations, NetSmartz entertains while it educates.
- Screen Time – Parental controls for iOS, Android and Kindle devices (Free trial, $3.99/month)
- Circle with Disney – Parents can filter content, limit screen time and set a bedtime for every device in the home ($99 for home unit, plus $9.99/month for mobile devices)
- Curbi – Parental controls for Android and Apple mobile devices (Free, $3..99/month for Premium)
- ParentKit – Control and schedule what is on your child’s iPod, iPad or iPhone (1st month free; $39.99/year subscription)
- NetSanity – Parental controls for iOS (free trial, variable pricing)
- FamilyTime – Parental controls for iOS and Android ($1.15/month)
- Net Nanny – Parental controls for Android and iOS ($9-$12/per device)
- Mobile Fence – Parental controls and GPS tracking for Android devices ($48/year subscription)
- Verizon Family Base – Monitor wireless activity and set usage limits ($4.99/month)
- AT&T Parental Controls – Manage internet and email activity on computers (Free)
- T-Mobile Family Allowances – Manage minutes, messages and downloads on phones (Free trial, $9.99/month)
- Sprint Mobile Controls – Monitor phone usage (Free trial, $4.99/month per device)
Screen time contracts: http://www.screenagersmovie.com/contracts-1/
Parent concerns https://www.commonsensemedia.org/parent-concerns
Tech Talk Tuesdays http://www.screenagersmovie.com/tech-talk-tuesdays/
Talking with kids about being online https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/feature-0004-net-cetera-chatting-kids-about-being-online
Monitoring your children online http://www.today.com/parents/these-3-apps-can-help-you-monitor-your-teens-activities-t105483
Online parenting https://internetsafety101.wordpress.com/
Follow on Facebook General Websites
Enough is Enough CommonSenseMedia.org
Protect My Family Online ConnectSafely.org
Covenant Eyes iKeepSafe.org
Fight The New Drug NetSmartz.org
Statistics found on Enough is Enough http://enough.org/stats-youth-and-porn
- Only 12% of parents know their teens are accessing pornography. TruResearch (2012) Covenent Eyes 2015 Pornography Statistics. [Accessed 29th December 2015] http://www.covenanteyes.com/lemonade/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/2015-porn-stats-covenant-eyes.pdf
- 93.2% of boys and 62.1% of girls have seen online pornography before age 18. (http://www.familysafemedia.com/pornography_statistics.html - accessed June 6, 2014).
Sexting: Are your kids doing it?
(The following is an excerpt from “Net Cetera” https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/pdf-0001-netcetera.pdf)
Sending or forwarding sexually explicit photos, videos, or messages from a mobile device is known as “sexting.” Tell your kids not to do it. In addition to risking their reputation and their friendships, they could be breaking the law if they create, forward, or even save this kind of message. Teens may be less likely to make bad choices if they know the consequences.