By Hannah Stone
I find that for most teens the best way to deal with pornography is to first, make sure they are aware of it, and aware of the consequences that can come with it. Second if you haven’t told them and warned them about it, that you don’t get them in trouble, because punishing them for something they don’t know is wrong is going to leave them hurt and confused. So when dealing with it make sure that they understand why they are getting talked to. Because we are Christians we understand that we need to protect our minds from the negative influences of the world, and pornography is definitely one. If porn continues to be an issue for a child and you’ve warned them of consequences, then punishment would be appropriate.
Secondly, the influence that peers have. Back when I was 13 there was a guy who had sent me inappropriate texts and he was definitely a bad influence. You can’t stop your teen or child from being friends with people. You can’t stop them from having communication because there are so many ways to communicate that it’s impossible to cut off. That’s why it’s important to encourage those good healthy relationships with friends who encourage your child to do the right thing. Also encouraging their relationship with Jesus because ultimately he is is the best influence and if they are pouring over his word they will want to glorify him with all they see and do. Children and teens are definitely influenced by the world we live in and that’s why you need to make it a priority to talk to your child about pornography and make sure they know what’s right and wrong.
Hannah is a 17 year old high school student in Nova Scotia, Canada. She gave this message at a meeting of church leaders and parents in Bethlehem, Palestine, in May 2017. When she graduates from high school next year she plans to attend Word of Life Bible Institute in order to, in her words, “expand my relationship with God and learn new things.” After that she plans to attend Dalhousie University to become a psychologist.
