![]() ![]() So, what 3 things can parents do in response to these digital realities? How to Prevent Porn Exposure in Kids Get the right router. Combine these powerful neurological forces with an underdeveloped prefrontal cortex and a young developing brain just doesn’t stand a chance. Sexual cues fire up the brain through a complex cocktail of neurochemicals like dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. For Jason, his statement, “Mom I just couldn’t stop clicking” definitely makes a lot more sense. In other words, when a young person says, “I’m not sure why I did it,” they might be telling you at least a partial truth. Thus, the same fifteen-year-old may act rashly under stress, even if they technically “know better.” In other words, the part of the brain that provides self-control can’t communicate well with the part of the brain that controls the fight or flight response. However, a teen’s prefrontal cortex has not grown many connections with the limbic system yet. “ For example, most fifteen-year-olds can assess hypothetical risk as well as adults. Here’s an excerpt from Good Therapy’s website : The synaptic explosion and pruning that occurs during adolescence hasn’t finished its job of plugging the brain’s main areas into each other. This part of the brain that is so critical for good, rational decision-making not only isn’t fully functioning as an 11-year-old, but it’s also not yet connected to the other parts of the brain that assist in decision-making. It just means that they don’t have the executive functioning of an adult. This doesn’t mean that adolescents don’t have a functioning prefrontal cortex. In some, this development will continue well into their 20’s. In other words, the prefrontal cortex is one of the last parts of the brain to develop. The brain develops in a back-to-front fashion. Conditional thinking (“I can’t do A until B happens).Impulse control managing one’s emotions.Anticipating and predicting the consequences for one’s actions.It literally sits toward the front of the brain, and it’s the region that’s in charge of : ![]() Go, go, go! Young brains + porn = full steam ahead!Īdults rely heavily on the prefrontal cortex all day long. How could he just keep clicking? He knew it was wrong! This is a Christian home! He knows better. When Julie heard this, she began to question a lot of things about her parenting. It was like I wasn’t in control anymore.” Mom told Jason that they would talk about it on Monday and when that happened after school, Jason said something that Mom didn’t quite understand. Dad had left for a business trip and wasn’t going to be home until Tuesday night. His sister immediately went to mom who was crushed by the prospect of her sweet, little boy looking at porn. Jason was using the computer in the home’s small office when his teenage sister walked in on him and caught a glimpse of the screen before he minimized it. ![]() Unfortunately, this search coincided with a small window when there were no filters set up on the computer because Mom was switching to a new filtering software.įast forward to Sunday. Jason did what any, curious young person might do and he went to the family computer and Googled the word “pornography.” This happened on a Friday night. He heard the conversation and the word “pornography,” a word he didn’t understand because they hadn’t talked about it. What Julie didn’t know is that her 11-year-old son was listening to the conversation from the hallway. He had struggled with it but he now had some digital protections in place to help and it was getting better. The topic of pornography came up and they were discussing how it had impacted him. Just the week before, Julie was having a conversation in the kitchen with her then-18-year-old son about how he was doing. I remember when a mom contacted me because her 11-year-old son had been looking at porn. And if they admit it, give them a high-five. Key takeaways: If your child looks at porn, it’s probably not their fault. Parents, this blog post will require around 7 minutes of your time – 7 precious minutes that will give you understanding that you’ve never had about your children. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |