by Patricia Watson

Created on: October 18, 2009   Last Updated: November 24, 2009

Your teens body and mind, are morphing into their adult figures and thoughts. Curiosity about these changes, and the new feelings of sexuality that accompany them, is at a fevered level. This curiosity doesn't stop with their own bodies and feelings. It is a natural progression to wonder what other people look like without their clothes on. Your teen may feel that viewing pornography is something they have to do, to learn about the birds and the bees.

Looking at pornographic material, and being addicted to it, are too very different subjects. If you discover your child is viewing porn on a daily basis, you will need to learn some coping mechanisms. You can help your teen through this discovery period, without making them feel like a pervert.

Coping with your teens addiction to pornography

~ Don't over-react to the situation. This will make your child feel dirty. You will want to keep your calm and talk to your child in a loving manner. Let your teen know that you are aware of their habit, and ask them if they would like to talk to you about it. They probably will feel embarrassed that you have discovered their little secret. If they decline to sit in on a parental show-down, give them some space to absorb the fact that you know about the porn habit.

~ Try and regulate your teens time on-line. This is the first line of defense in keeping their porn addiction under control. The internet has thousands of adult sites that your child can easily access. Put parental controls on your computer. Block adult web sites and let your teen know that you regularly check viewing history. Never allow your teen to have a password protected log-in to your computer.

~ Viewing porn does not necessarily mean your teen is going to be a sexual predator. If you have instilled your morals and values from a young age, your child will survive the teen sexual discovery years, without ending up in prison.

~ Keep all communications open between you and your teen. Let them know that they can come to you with any questions or problems. Try not to shame them into giving up their porn addiction. This will only make them go underground and become sneakier about viewing adult material.

It may not be what you envisioned your teen doing, but viewing pornography is almost an inevitability. You cannot escape it in todays sexually open society. Love your teen and try and encourage them to get involved in hobbies or teen youth groups. Keeping your child busy will help keep them away from porn, for a little while anyway. In the event you feel that your teen is overly involved in porn, you may want to consider getting them some professional counseling.

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