Internet Porn and Parenting in a Networked World

Remember back after September 11th when we learned that nature of war had changed?

We learned that Al-Qaeda was a “network” and that our military wasn’t set up to defeat a networked enemy.

For some reason, I get Details magazine (I think it is left over from a US Air miles redemption offer, but I digress). It's not super-intellectual, but it does have some entertaining, light (bathroom, if I must be honest) reading.

The other night, I was reading an article called HOW INTERNET PORN IS CHANGING TEEN SEX (warning: the content is EXTREMELY graphic. Mom-please do not read this.)

[Note: when you put in “warning: graphic content,” I bet that makes MORE people read it, not less. Hmmmm…)

Ok, so the rest of this post is a lot of graphic content also.

I know you clicked over. I told you it was GRAPHIC.

And that is part of the point.

One of the things that really came out in the article was how teens can basically access anything they want, any time, from anywhere.

When most of us were growing up, there was one line into the house (the phone) and parents could control it.

Now, there are billions of lines in.

You can’t control it.

You can try, but I think you’ll (and I) lose.

It’s a totally new paradigm, so it requires a new way of thinking.

My good friend, Rabbi Shu Eliovson, runs a phenomenal organization called In-Reach (please consider donating here)

It’s specifically focused on Jewish youth, but the problems/challenges are universal.

How do you help parents prepare their kids for dealing with a world where every possible imaginable thing (and we mean everything-stuff that some of you can’t even picture, nor do you want to) is at their fingertips (or iPods or phones).

It’s a new war (survival of your kids) in a networked world.

If you are a parent, you can’t fight “the last war.”

Trust me, I don’t have the answer on this one, but I do have a bit of time (probably less than I think though) to figure it out.

That’s why we are kicking this conversation off today.

Updated: thanks to those of you who have already donated (just put jer979 in the notes field)