Safety Net

Action Items for Protecting our Children from Pornography’s Influence
1. Teach healthy sexuality in a layered, step-wise manner throughout a child’s development. It is
best if both the mother and father are involved in teaching male and female children.
2. Teach children anatomically correct names for parts of the body.
3. Back your concerns up with actions (In a recent study of 2000+ parents, 84% of parents were
concerned about media in their home, but only 27% had taken specific actions to protect their
children).
4. Communicate expectations and values around media use, avoidance of pornography (be sure to
define it), virtual citizenship, etc.
5. Implement a family media pledge (see The Clean & Safe Media Pledge).
6. Help children become media literate by teaching them how to discern and interpret media
messages (What is the message that is being conveyed? Is the message congruent with family
standards? Whose agenda is being presented? What is their goal? Who is the message aimed at?
How is the human body being portrayed and why? How do you feel when you see/hear this
message?).
7. Share our own uplifting and challenging media experiences with our children.
8. Help our children know how to deal with boredom, anger, stress, loneliness and sexual feelings
in constructive ways. These are common triggers for pornography problems.
9. Strive to maintain an open, nurturing and engaged relationship with our children.
10. Hold regular family meetings and integrate this topic into discussions when related subjects
arise (e.g., integrity, respect, standards).
11. Reclaim the word ‘adult’ as something ennobling and worthy of respect (e.g., say “sexually
explicit material” vs. “adult material” or “adult store”).
12. Hold regular one-on-one father discussions. A strong and open relationship with a father is a
known buffer against pornography use.
13. As a family, brainstorm practical “fire drills” for when encounters with inappropriate media
arise (e.g., change scenery/situation; go find a family member or friend to be with; identify
needs and how to meet them in healthy ways).
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