From adults contacting children to live streams in which adults perform sexual acts on themselves or other adults - why conversations without fear and judgement are particularly important - here you will find tips from sex educators.
False reality about one's own sexuality
When cyberchecker surveyed 150 children and young people between the ages of 10 and 15 in Vienna and Vorarlberg, 122 children stated that they had already received requests or messages from adults. Some of the children were also asked to send pictures of themselves. Some children said that they were having fun and had communicated with adults via various platforms. Especially Snapchat, Instagram and Whats App are popular platforms for getting in touch with children.
In a safe environment created by the teacher and cyberchecker, an 11-year-old boy said that he had recently taken part in a live stream in which an adult man had performed sexual acts on himself. According to his story, he perceived this situation as exciting and funny and watched the stream for a few minutes. Other children also opened up and said that they would secretly watch adult sexual content. In addition to accessible porn sites, Reddit also appears to be a popular platform for this.
These pictures and videos ensure that the children have a completely False reality about your own sexuality and their own body. They often feel overwhelmed by these images, but curiosity and their own sense of pleasure can lead them to consume such content more often. The connection to love, respect and healthy sexuality can be lost. There is also a risk that the children will make a connection with strangersthat they do not know. This can lead to the sending of personal photos and personal messages and data. In the worst case scenario, the children can build up such a strong connection that they wish they could meet the stranger.
Pornographic content - tips from sex educators
- Start early and educate: As soon as the child has a mobile phone with internet access and is allowed to use it without adult supervision, you should start talking about sexuality and pornography on the internet. Children are often afraid of doing something forbidden or bad when they receive such messages or see certain posts. Make children aware that they can accidentally end up on such sites or in such chats and that this is not a bad thing. In this way, you as a parent or teacher can create an important basis of trust that is not about guilt and shame. It is important that you go to an adult you trust and report and block such content or messages.
- Stay calm and speak objectively: If the child has the feeling that the parents are very worried about such content, it could happen that the child remains silent about such online experiences. They don't want to scare their parents or teachers and will keep such images or videos to themselves. Anyone can end up on such sites, because the internet is full of them.
- Speak on a meta-level and not too personally: Do not give any personal examples of pornography. It is also difficult for children to talk about content that they have seen themselves. Give an example from the media or tell a story about someone else's case and ask whether such content is a topic at school or on your child's mobile phone. This way, the child feels comfortable and does not project this content onto themselves or their parents. This approach is also recommended for teachers.
- How real is pornographic content? Feelings, love and respect often play little role in pornographic content and a false image of sexuality is created. From a certain age, this can also lead to a distorted perception of one's own sexuality, but also of one's own body. If you have the feeling that this could apply to your child, contact the teacher and ask for a workshop with a sex educator or a media educator. It is important to teach children that such pornographic content is more like an action or fantasy film than reality.
- On Instagram you can find the Clinical sexologist Magdalena Heinzlwho has taken on such questions. On her channel sexological on Instagram children receive realistic, educationally valuable tips from an expert. It is important to tell the children that such pornographic content is more like an action or fantasy film than reality. This profile is also very suitable for lessons to address specific issues!
- Search engine filter: A Search engine filter provides additional protection. Google calls this filter Safe Search and you can activate it in the settings. Find out which other filters offer protection against inappropriate content. But make sure you awareSet filter none 100% safe Solution represent! They merely minimise the risk. Teachers can make parents aware of these and other search engine filters.
- Blocking other people's numbers and profiles: You never know 100% who is on the other side of a phone number or profile. Make your child or pupils aware of this. The topic of adults contacting children can also be dealt with in this context. Blocking other people's numbers and profiles should be discussed and implemented at a very early age.
Further contributions
Here you will find a link to our blog post ,,Animal cruelty and the killing of animals on social media as a viral trend". You are welcome to read more about current trends.