The internet has changed the way we access the world. This is especially true for teenagers and youth who soak up new technologies like eager little sponges. They are exposed to an enormous array of materials, including educational links, chat rooms, sports information and unfortunately pornographic content.
It is no secret that teenage pregnancies have escalated during the COVID 19 pandemic. Our young people accessing pornographic content either by choice or by getting lured into it is a major contributor to the rise in sexual exploitation and abuse of girls and boys and this has seen an increase in early pregnancies, rape cases, premature marriages and even young people contracting HIV/AIDs and other sexually transmitted diseases.
Most worrying is how these days sexual abuse and pornography seem to have been normalized to the point where people are unperturbed when they witness violence against women and thus raises the question- have parents failed in their duty to inculcate ethical values to the younger generations?
Having our children exposed to the internet without close supervision by parents or guardians has increasingly made young people vulnerable to online sexual radicalization as pornographic content is almost readily available for anyone regardless of age on various online sites. Many are times when young people get hooked up to strangers on social media channels who pretend to be in search of love and friendship but maliciously end up introducing moral decaying sexual material to the young ones.
Watching pornography can easily become habitual, which in turn leads to in-sensitization, boredom, distorted views of reality and objectification of women.
The recent case of 44 school going teenagers going missing from their homes, only to be traced deep in orgies at a house in Mountain View is just but one example. Investigations to the incident revealed that the missing children received invitation links to the orgy party online sent to them by a young woman old enough to be their mother and mentor.
We all ought to understand that pornography is harmful as it changes the habits of the mind and one’s inner private self. Watching pornography can easily become habitual, which in turn leads to in-sensitization, boredom, distorted views of reality and objectification of women. This calls for parents to be more vigilant and monitor their children’s online behaviour.
Young people should understand that watching pornographic videos has nothing good to offer but rather negatively affects ones spiritual, physical, and mental health. Youth who have drowned in pornography have ended up victims of sex-based crimes.
Young adults should lead a life that reflects societal moral values and not yield to any form of sexual perversions. Upholding self-control is key in ensuring that one does not fall into the temptation of doing what they see on videos they come across online.
The influx and proliferation of pornography is a common global menace that demands global effort to curb its spreading. It is aggressively penetrating and encroaching every setting of the human society in an unnoticed manner before the victims realize they have been held captives. Let us have a concerted effort in the war against pornographic content and save our generations.