5 Unexpected Locations Where Porn Finds Kids

by editorial team

Once upon a time, pornography used to live in a dark corner of a video store, hidden behind a curtain and inaccessible to children.

However, because of modern technology, pornography can sneak up on children practically anywhere. According to research by Covenant Eyes, 90% of boys and 62% of girls were exposed to pornography before they turned 18.

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to protect your children from encountering sexually explicit content online.

In this article, we will discuss 5 common locations pornography finds kids, as well as give you tips and strategies for keeping them safe.

5 Locations Where Pornography Finds Children

1. Grandparent’s House

Grandparents like to keep their grandchildren happy. These days, that includes giving kids access to technology.

However, not many grandparents have parental controls configured on their devices.

In addition to that, any tech-related Christmas presents your children receive will not be automatically configured to protect your children from explicit content.

How to protect them

Encourage grandparents to give their house a tech-safety makeover.

• Talk to grandparents about the dangers of unfiltered WiFi and lack of parental controls on computers and gaming stations

• Help them install a WiFi filter on their home wifi network and configure parental controls on their most used devices

• Establish ground rules about screen limits and device access (e.g. no tablets allowed in the bedroom)

If all else fails, you can also let your kids know they are only allowed to use their own devices while at the grandparents’ house.

2. Sleepover

Sleepovers can be a fun social activity, and help your children bond with others in a relaxed environment.

However, they can also turn into a parenting challenge.

The anonymity of the internet could potentially tempt your kids to do things they would never do in real life, especially if there is a group of friends cheering them on.

How to protect them

• Discuss with your child what they can and cannot do online, especially with regard to sharing personal information online

• Set up code words to give your child an easy way to exit a dangerous or uncomfortable situation

• If you are hosting a sleepover, consider a “no smartphones” rule, and suggest other hosts take similar steps to protect children from pornography

3. On the School Bus

Children come from different home environments, with different developmental traits and different rules about behavior.

Some of them are not going to have parental controls or filters set up on their phones, and may feel the need to show off.

This could lead to your child being shown sexually explicit content at school.

How to protect them

• Let your children know that they will never get in trouble for telling you someone showed them an inappropriate photo or video

• Ask specific questions about their time at school. What did you do at recess? Did anyone swear, or do something else out of the ordinary? What’s the most exciting thing you remember?

• Talk to your middle-schooler about relationships and the dangers of sexting

• Share your concerns about children and pornography with other parents and the school administrator

4. While Babysitting

Babysitting means hours of unlimited access to a stranger’s house.

That includes their wifi, which may not have a pornography filter.

Because of the lack of supervision, children may feel tempted to explore content they otherwise would not, or simply stumble upon something explicit while browsing the internet

Not only does this put your child at risk; it could also endanger the younger children they are babysitting.

How to protect them

Anytime your child is invited to babysit somewhere, add these questions to your interview process:

• Do you allow your children unlimited access to the internet? Do you have any parental controls or filters installed?

• Is there any other adult content at home, like DVDs or magazines?

• How do you usually handle disengaging your kids from technology when it’s time to go to bed? Are devices allowed in their bedroom?

It is possible that the parents will tell you there are no internet filters at home.

To combat the lack of external filters, have frequent conversations with your child about avoiding sexualized content online.

It will help strengthen your child's internal filter and give you peace of mind while they are out on their own.

5. Private Areas of Your Own Home

A survey of London secondary school students revealed that 81% of children look at pornography at home.

If you do not have WiFi filters set up, it can be very easy for children to access inappropriate content behind closed doors.

Late-night texting can be another culprit. When your children text late at night, they might be more likely to connect with strangers and share secrets and inappropriate photos of themselves.

How to protect them

• Set up WiFi filters on your home network, and configure parental controls on their devices

• Strengthen your child’s internal filter by having frequent conversations about what they do online

• Encourage children to always use their devices out in the open, and create tech-free spaces (e.g. their bedroom) and times (e.g. right before bedtime)

Final Thoughts

Because of modern technology, pornography can sneak up on your children anywhere.

If you would like to learn more about keeping your children safe while using technology, be sure to subscribe to our community below for continued tips!