Children addicted to porn

[Lace Neil Singer]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...it-images.html

Basically, people want an "opt in" option for porn sites; ie, if you want to view it, you have to opt in.

I'm just wondering just why the parents of these kids are expecting the government to do their parenting for them, and why they can't just, you know, supervise their kids' internet use. Not saying it's not a bad thing that all these kids are watching it, just saying that the parents need to be proactive and start regulating their children's internet rather than sitting back and expecting the government to do it. This comment on the article summed it up perfectly:

I really am sick of reading stories like this. News flash: it is not up to government or any ISP to protect YOUR child. That goes for here in the States, the UK, or any where else in the world. It is the PARENTS responsibility to monitor the sites their kids visit. Deal with that fact, accept that responsibility, or don't have kids. Argument over. There are far more important things that the governments of the world need to be concerned about way before what your dumb kid is looking at on the Internet.

[fireheart17]

I'll say this right now, the same rule applies to teaching as well.

People seem to treat teachers as glorified babysitters or parents, expecting them to raise their child for them. If the kid goes to school with an attitude of not wanting to learn? Must be the teachers fault. Kid can't read or write despite the fact that the teacher has been doing everything right and is receiving excellent performance reports? Must be the teachers fault.
Homework not done? Must be the teachers fault for giving their child homework in the first place.

It just boggles me sometimes, the number of people who expect that they can have a kid and not take any responsibility for it, relying on childcare centres and the like to raise their children for them. YOU are responsible for raising your own child. If that involves sticking them into a daycare centre for seven hours a day because you both work, then fine, do it. But also make sure that you spend time with them once you pick them up-read stories to them, have them read stories to you, play with them, sing to them, take them out to parent and child swimming classes, take them to playgroup. If there isn't a playgroup available on the weekend, create one. There is NO excuse for someone to expect society to raise their child for them.

[anakhouri]

I think also part of the problem is that parents allow their kids unsupervised internet time. My husband's aunt jsut got her kids each their own iPad...they are 6 and 3! My plan is to always be in the room while my son is on my computer and to allow him very limited time on it to begin with, until he is a teenager and hopefully has the common sense we tried to raise him to have. And it IS very easy to accidentally stumble across porn; I have done it before and I am an adult (you try looking up information on a certain Herman Melville novel...).

[wraiths_crono]

I am on the side that its up to the parent to.. well you know parent their children: my lady and I have just had an argument because I am installing something to block and monitor my home internet for things I do not want my kiddo to see, she thinks im going too far because its going to see every pc, and device on the network, I do not: its my responsibility to make sure my child is not seeing adult content sorry if it inconveniences an adult at my house.

[Andara Bledin]

Ugh.

We don't need to the government to child-proof the Internet. >_<

There are more than enough tools out there, some for free, that offer various levels of control, monitoring, and filtering. Any parent that wants the government to make things kic-friendly rather than do it themselves is a lazy fuck and I'm thinking might not be fit to have children in the first place.

Nevermind the fact that a large percentage of these sites are not in the US to begin with, and as such would be completely untouched by this type of law.

^-.-^

[Rapscallion]

The article is UK-centric, not going to affect the US.

Rapscallion

[Andara Bledin]

The article is UK-centric, not going to affect the US.

Correction noted.

But it doesn't really change the fact that a lot of porn sites are still offshore, even if you consider the entirety of the EU to be your shore.

^-.-^

[jackfaire]

My daughter wasn't even allowed a cell phone until this year and even still it's very limited usage and we only do prepaid because we don't want her just calling up every tom, dick and harry and talking for hours.

[Greenday]

The article is UK-centric, not going to affect the US.

Rapscallion

Yea, but if the UK gets this kind of thing going, how long will it be before American congress members begin to think it's a good idea for us too?

The government doesn't need to know what kind of porn people are watching. It's not their job to raise people's kids.

[Rapscallion]

Usually it's the other way around. The US sneezes and we catch a cold. You've got that amendment guaranteeing you all the porn you want enshrined in the constitution, so I wouldn't worry about it.

Besides, we're (as in the government) far more relaxed than we were. It's only a decade or less ago that we were legally allowed to obtain hardcore porn. It's only legally available in licensed sex shops. However, the first nipple on screen tends to result in a massively higher film rating, but you can watch a bloke being blown to pieces on a landmine when you're much younger.

Your main worry over there is all the preachers trying to call the shots in government, not a sovereign foreign state.

Rapscallion

[fireheart17]

My daughter wasn't even allowed a cell phone until this year and even still it's very limited usage and we only do prepaid because we don't want her just calling up every tom, dick and harry and talking for hours.

My parents put me on a post-paid plan in my first year of high school. I racked up a $200-$300 bill in my first month.
I was very quickly put on prepaid when I started Year 10. And I'm still on prepaid until I get a full-time job.

[HYHYBT]

Your main worry over there is all the preachers trying to call the shots in government, not a sovereign foreign state.

True... and, of course, it's the preachers who would mess things up the most who are into that sort of thing.

As for the cell phone thing... I've never had a pre-paid phone, mainly because I'd worry about running out of minutes when I needed them. I don't normally use it much, but if I do, I'd far rather it keep working and run up a bill than not work.

[jackfaire]

As for the cell phone thing... I've never had a pre-paid phone, mainly because I'd worry about running out of minutes when I needed them. I don't normally use it much, but if I do, I'd far rather it keep working and run up a bill than not work.

My daughter is 11. She is either in school, with her grandmother or another trusted adult. Running out of minutes isn't a huge concern. It's mostly a tool for us to try and teach her personal responsibility.

[fireheart17]

I've put this up in CS.com as well, but it sort of fits here.
http://www.customerssuck.com/board/s...89#post1036389

Basically a local catalogue down here advertised sex toys along with horny goat weed in their Mothers Day catalogue. Now parents are up in arms about their children seeing "ZOMG SEX TOYS!" and going "I shouldn't have to explain to my <x> year old what a g-spot is". Just explain that it's a back massager if you're so up in arms about it!

[anstia]

I think that our society's ideas about what constitutes "parenting" needs to be made more explicit, i.e. perhaps written down. There are a lot of different ideas about what parenting is or should be, most of it conflicting.

Personally, I'd like to see parenting be explained roughly as "a way to create an independent individual in 18 years or less," and part of the process would involve teaching self-monitoring, and displaying monitoring behaviour as an example prior to that.

I'd be interested to know _why_ children are keen on getting their hands on porn. I can think of several potential reasons, but wonder what other people think?

As a child it was a fascinating topic; though I felt a bit embarrassed talking about it, I felt ready for a bit of research. I started in on written material, romance novels with sexually explicit material, about the time I was 12. But my parents had taught me this,"Don't get into things you don't feel ready for." So I didn't. I kept sex for a time when I felt ready, almost 16, with another person of legal age. Sex was something I felt prepared for.

I don't believe that much visual porn these days is good for research purposes; I would still recommend text. But a combination of advice and monitoring from my parents meant that I didn't get harmed by my experiences, research or later exploration.