The Effects Of Pornographic Websites On Young Children

The internet is one of the biggest innovations of the 21st century. It is a library full of information that would be difficult to find before its creation, as well as a hub for communication with chat rooms and social media sites. For those interested in the news, fashion, or trivia, a simple search becomes a goldmine of their interests. Unfortunately, the same is also true for sexual content. Because of the internet’s accessibility, minors can find themselves exposed to inappropriate material, whether it is their intended purpose or not. Regulations of pornographic websites are still too unrefined to keep children away, as it does not ask for actual proof of one’s adulthood. While some people are opposed to internet regulation, the†¦show more content†¦While one can argue that no one can really determine what is suitable for a child’s eye, most groups believe sexual material is harmful to a child’s mental state. In their book, â€Å"Youth, Por nography, and the Internet†, Dick Thornburgh and Herbert Lin note, â€Å"content that is permissive of sexual violence or other negative sexual encounters could help to construct sexual schemas that are not beneficial for—or may even be harmful to—the young person† (148). From this information one can assume that the portrayal of sexual media on the web can change a child’s perception on sex and sexual situations, leading to imitations of bad behavior. After all, a child learns and mimics behavior from what they see from parents and school; the same may well occur with what they learn from television, music videos, and especially the internet. Not only could a child learn to imitate sexual content they have seen on the internet, but they may also become desensitized to unhealthy activities by such imagery as well. Most pornography is violent, and if they only see the abusive parts, a child could develop the idea that sexual encounters are inherently violent. As book authors Dick Thornburgh and Herbert Lin observe, â€Å"Research has shown that desensitization to media violence can result in reduced arousal and emotional disturbance while witnessing actual violence, greater hesitancy to call an adult to intervene in a witnessed physical altercation, and less sympathy for