Adolescents and the Internet
What’s normal?
Most adolescent boys will look at pornography in the course of their lives and will not go on to sexually abuse. However, much of what’s been historically available has been the ‘corner store’ pornography.
There are some quite significant differences between what you find in the local dairy and what’s available on the Internet - both qualitative and quantitative differences.
What are the differences?
- Content
- Amount
- Ease of access
- Unintended access
- Exceeds viewer’s expectations
- Risk of trauma
- Impact on sexual attitudes and relationships
- Addiction
- Risk of offending through downloading, possessing, or trading objectionable material
When to worry?
Watch for developing sexual problems if:
- An adolescent or child collects large amounts of pornography
- Any of the above is of a bizarre, violent, degrading nature or involves children
- An adolescent or child has repetitive Internet pornography use despite attempts at preventing access
- An adolescent or child distributes pornography to others
and/or:
- An adolescent or child is accused of sexually aggressive or unwanted sexual behaviour of any sort
- An adolescent or child is also socially isolated, has few peer friends, or their friends are much younger
How should I respond if I have concerns about a particular young person?
- Respond calmly.
- Support honesty.
- Do not minimise the behaviour - take it seriously
- Get professional help immediately - contacting NetSafe is a good starting point.
Other Information
1. COPINE Project website: http://copine.ucc.ie/
2. Mitchell, K., Finkelhor, D., and Wolak, J., (2000) Risk Factors For And Impact Of Online Solicitation Of Youth, JAMA, Vol 285 (23), 145-67.
3. Stanley, J., (2001) Child Abuse and the Internet, National Child Protection Clearing House , The Australian Institute of Family Studies, No 15, Summer 2001.
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