Historically debates about children and pornography have tended to play out in two directions. Either children are discussed as being the victims used in illegal child pornography, or alternatively they are constructed as the damaged consumers of adult pornography which they inadvertently or deliberately access.
Both the “exploited victim” and “damaged consumer” approaches have produced a wealth of research that has contributed to public debates about pornography.
However, while these approaches have offered certain frameworks for understanding and discussing the harm caused to children, they have not been able to account for a recently emerging trend whereby young people are not merely accessing and consuming pornography, but indeed are now the active producers of pornography – specifically child pornography.
In recent years academics have been tending to the ways in which young people are incorporating technology into their dating, courtship and sexual socialisation practices. While many young people report that technology has enhanced their social lives, others have expressed concerns over the ways in which technology (such as digital photography, mobile phone cameras and webcams) has contributed to a paradigm where privacy is compromised. Read entire article.
3 Responses
Thanks for enlightening us with the challenges we face re new technologies. I read Big Porn Inc not too long ago and was thrilled to see it expose the porn industry for what it is – a multi-billion dollar, woman-hating and body-punishing industry.
I especially loved how it exposed “The Porn Report” for all of its financial conflicts of interest. That book is treated by some pseudo-academics as the gospel, in fact many of the studies cited in the book were funded by the Eros foundation.
Thanks Melinda and Nina for giving us actual facts not lies.
If your kids are sexting then the blame surely has to be on the parents and the upbringing of their kids. Why are parents suddenly absolved of all responsibility? I guess it’s easier to blame society and technology. If your 12 year=old kid is watching porn online or sending nude images of themselves, then the child has not been brought up properly and responsibly.
Sarah – the problem with what you’ve said is that parents are not the only influence in a kids life. The effects of peer pressure have been proven for years. We can’t afford to be naive about that. I do believe parents have responsibility but parental influence is not the only factor. And if kids are watching porn or sending naked pics of themselves it’s not necessarily an indication of bad parenting.