Having the Porn Talk

No matter what people think about the proliferation of porn, even people who produce porn agree it doesn’t belong in front of children. And yet a University of New Hampshire study released recently found that forty-two percent of Internet users aged 10 to 17 had seen online pornography in the past year. This new website believes the “porn talk” is a must-have conversation for the 21st century parent.

“The problem is that Mom and Dad are clueless about what their little Johnny is up to online,” says Mike Foster founder of ThePornTalk.com project. “They are uncomfortable and embarrassed to talk porn with their kids. I’ve found that parents struggle more with ‘the porn talk’ than ‘the sex talk’ because they don’t understand the issues or the internet. Kids know more than they do.”

A study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that more than 11 million teens regularly view pornography material online. David Wever who is a therapist and contributor to ThePornTalk.com believes, “A child’s healthy sexual development is at stake here. The exposure to hard core pornography is harmful to a child’s perception and beliefs about sex. While adults can distinguish between what is fantasy and reality, kids cannot.”

The need for the unusual parental resource became apparent as Foster traveled the country the past 3 years talking to thousands of parents about porn in American culture. “A startling theme arose when fielding questions form parents: They were completely clueless about what type of porn their kids are accessing. It’s not Playboy bunnies anymore. It’s hard core. I felt compelled to do a crash course for them and help them talk about porn and the internet with their kids.”

Contributors to the site include child advocates, pastors, therapists, and teens. The site features video interviews, a weekly podcast, parents’ stories, conversation starters, and other resources. ThePornTalk.com believes it’s important to be proactive and informed. “I guarantee someone is going to talk to your child about porn. It can be you, your kids’ friends, an online predator, or the porn industry itself. It’s your choice,” says Foster. “As parents we need to have 3 major talks with our children: the sex talk, the drug talk and now the porn talk.”