Digitisation school confronts children with porn

Elementary schools incorporate tablets more and more in their learning programs. Sometimes, the devices do not have an internet filter to protect children against graphic content, Freitag says, as reported by PRO. The expert in therapy of media addiction, cybersex and porn addiction notices that authorities put more emphasis on the digitisation itself, and forget that protection is just as important.

As a result, schools and parents unintendedly give their children access to pornography. Thus, students see graphic material at an even earlier age, the Berliner Zeitung cites Freitag. Strictly speaking, enabling children to see pornography is even illegal by law.

Responsible

According to Livenet, studies show that more than half of 11 to 13-year-old children have already seen online pornography. Freitag says there is almost no difference between boys and girls. Remarkable is that about 75 per cent of the parents assume that their child has never seen such graphic content. "They say they trust their child not to do such things. However, this has nothing to do with trust", Freitag says. "Children cannot counteract the pull and are not to be held responsible for it."

Boundaries of shame

Being confronted by pornography strongly impacts children, Freitag warns. She points out that porn can lead to sexual feelings in children as young as 6 or 7 years. In addition, pornography may change their image of humans and shift their boundaries of shame. "This leads, for example, to the fact that many young people perceive girls as sexualised objects because they have learned this view from porn", Freitag warns. She has heard of pupils talking about breast sizes and sexual practices. "There are inhibitions where there are actually limits to shame."

Porn consumption also brings significant risks to the self-image of girls. They may start comparing their own bodies to those of porn stars and feel the urge to conform to a "porn ideal", Livenet writes. Furthermore, girls may feel pressured to allow humiliating sexual practices to their bodies, as these happen in pornography as well. "Then their boundaries are repeatedly violated out of concern about losing one's partner", says Freitag.