HIGHLIGHTING THE WOES OF PORNOGRAPHY ADDICTION ON CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS
NB: This article consist of two sections; a fiction and a researched article.
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My name is Phillip, growing up at age 15, I have been wrapped into an addiction of watching photography and for over 3 consecutive years I struggled through, fighting my flesh and winning the battle first in my mind was as hard as breaking the edges of an iron. But, never was it, because the addiction sink and engulfed me into continual habit; at a point I couldn't do without on a daily basis.
As days glide by, anytime I am faced with life challenges, the forlorn, and turbulent of life; I ended up depending of pornography for relieve and gratification. I got engrossed into it and I felt that was the right thing that could fill the vacancy in my heart.
Gradually, I turned a cast in mire. I was as though a dog returning back to its vomit even when I realized I have this weaken my inner man bringing me low to the ground softly and slowing.
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It was indeed a hard experience because I lived my shadow of myself these struggling 3 years of mine. Even when I participated I church activities, the heat the flame the stronger the fumes and heat. That was the replica of my life. My activeness in church activities didn't help break the addiction either was I able to break away from the secret monster that turn me into the shadow of myself. My merely resolution were just an ironical steeping stop to more addiction to pornography.
I couldn't get through the addiction i had been addicted to. I was psychologically, emotionally, socially and spiritually affected. It affected me so badly on life logical way of reasoning that I came arrogant to people and had a low self esteem. It retarded my prestige I had for myself and my self worth. I grew battle this monster called pornography watching habit for 3 years and I was transformed into becoming furious every now and then with actions and reactions of people. It made me stigmatized that I felt I could hid within the cloak of myself finding a solution to it. I became scared wondering what people will say and how they will undermine his personality. It brought untold depression for him because i felt unworthy to socialize and it contributed to the major part of my introvert life. I had felt a hard life and being optimistic to break free one day.
I could address the supernatural for a supernatural intervention since my efforts were rendered futile. On the 4th year of the struggle of breaking out of been enslaved to pornography, with much determination and discipline I decided to replace the bad habit watching pornography with a positive habit of being studying motivational books and the holy bible. Anytime I receive the impulse of watching pornography, I quickly switch my focus to studying motivational books and the holy bible. With uch discipline I found out that the gratification towards pornography decreased till the addiction vanished. This was however, a gradual process.
Here is Phillip happy with himself and living a fulfilled life.
Author’s Note:
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There is a rapid development in the world today and every nation strives to meet up with the requirements needed. One of the ways for nations to meet up with rapid development is achieved through internet enabled technology. Internet enabled technology have greatly improved the quality of human life and have greatly raised the standard of living to a record. Internet enabled technology is accessed through laptops, mobile phones and other electronic device. Notwithstanding it the primary means through which children and adolescent encounter and consume sexually explicit materials which results of negative consequences. The modern society acceptance and affordability of pornography puts children and adolescents at extreme risk of negative consequences.
The purpose of this fiction and article hybrid write-up is to provide empirical justification that large percentage of children and adolescent consume pornography than adults, its woes on children and adolescent and measures that can be taken to protect children and adolescent from engagement in sexually explicit materials.
EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS REFLECTING CHILDREN / ADOLESCENTS HIGH ENGAGEMENT IN PORNOGRAPHY:
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Among males 18-30 years old, 79% viewed pornography once per month and 63% viewed pornography greater than once per week. Among males 31-49 years old, 67% viewed pornography once per month and 38% viewed pornography greater than once per week. Among males 50-68 years old, 49% viewed pornography once per month and 25% viewed pornography greater than once per week. Among females 18-30 years old, 34% viewed pornography once per month and 19% viewed pornography more than once per week. Among females 31-49 years old, 16% viewed pornography once per month and 8% viewed pornography greater than once per week. Among females 50-68 years old, 5% viewed pornography once per month and 0% viewed pornography greater than once per week. --- Source
English students between 14 to 16 years old, almost one third claimed that their first exposure to Internet pornography was at 10 years old or younger. --- Source
Australian study of pornography use, men who were frequent pornography users said that their first exposure was between the ages of 11 to 13 years old. --- Source
NEGATIVE EMOTIONAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND PHYSICAL HEALTH EFFECT OF PORNOGRAPHY ON CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS:
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The following are some emotional, psychological and physical health effect of pornography on children and adolescents;
Sexual assault of peers as a result of obsession in acting out viewed sexually explicit materials.
Interest in more extreme forms of pornography.
Decreased brain volume in the right striatum, decreased left striatum activation, and lower functional connectivity to the prefrontal cortex. This negative brain effect on children and adolescents pornography users is similar to the changes seen in brains of individuals addicted to cocaine, alcohol, and methamphetamines.
Increased rates of depression and anxiety.
Increased risk of teen pregnancy.
Distorted view of relationships between men and women.
Disrupted Attention.
POSITIVE RECOMMENDATION(S):
In a bid to reduce children and adolescent accessibility and engagement with pornography so has to build an healthy future for them, the following are positive recommendations;
International authorities should play a fundamental role in enforcing vigorous regulation on commercial, local and web owned sources of sexually explicitly materials so as to reduce its availability and accessibility to children and adolescents.
Parent and responsible adults should adopt technology based tool such as filters or recording of webpage visited, to monitor children and adolescents experience on the internet.
REFERENCES:
Lets join forces together in building a productive future for children and adolescent globally.
Cheers!
@vic-essien
