The Internet is the virtual space that is used for communication and knowledge, getting new information in the different directions. It makes life much easier and opens up almost unlimited opportunities for self-realization and self-development. The number of the users of the global network is rapidly growing every year. Not only adult but also the children’s audience gets the access to the computer and the Internet, respectively. It is an undeniable fact that the proportion of users of the child age has the tendency to increase and the average age of this audience, on the contrary, decreases. Despite a huge number of advantages, the Internet network can be fraught with many dangers for all its users. Abuse of unlimited access to any type of information that the Internet provides, can carry serious harm to the psyche, especially for the child’s one. Free children’s access to the pornography online is one of the best examples of such abuse with the dangerous implications.

The main purpose of the use of the Internet by children is to find the information needed for the study and expand the horizons. This freedom in the search for something new can create the risk that children may deliberately look for something that belongs to the range of issues of strictly adult audience. The fact that information of sexual and pornographic nature refers to the prohibited matters enhances the interest in it among the children and provokes their curiosity. However, it should be noted that children can stumble upon pornographic material by accident. For example, during the search of the information for an essay, they may inadvertently go to the site with such material because hackers intentionally redirect many of the Web sites with the educational content to the sites with the adult content. 

Free access to pornographic content is not the only reason why kids misuse their internet freedom. The lack of attention from their parents to this problem is one of the main factors. Often, the reason why the children look for and watch pornography is that they do not understand its pernicious influence. They do not realize why it is bad and what it can lead. Many parents, in turn, due to the fact that this subject of conversation could be awkward and delicate, avoid these conversations, not realizing the seriousness of the issue. Parents should explain to children what morality is and what principles embody it. Equally important is to discuss the subject of violence and emphasized that it in its various manifestations is an unacceptable aspect of the life. Naturally, the denial of its existence is the pointless idea, but the kids have to understand that it is bad and why it is bad. Children also need to be aware that not all that is in the global networks is useful and truthful information. They should learn to abstract and filter the information dust, preferably with the help of their parents. Then they can make informed choices, based on the instruction of parents, to understand that the Internet is full of traps for their psyche and consciousness.

No less important is not only to understand the reasons why children may suffer from the excess and abuse of their freedom, particularly on the Internet but also realize the consequences to which it can lead. At first, it should be said that the risk of contact children with the pornographic content and materials that it contains does not lie in exclusively abstract plane. It is real because this kind of information has not only immoral but also aggressive nature. It acts damaging to the process of children’s perception of reality, distorts the way of thinking and world perception. Such information becomes the obstacle in the process of normal formation of the moral values and the principles of the right life. It, in turn, can provoke the appearance of psychological trauma in the child that will have an impact throughout his entire life.

Any information that a person receives can influence him. Any information that a person receives is able to influence him. In cases of the exposure to people with a weak mentality, the information with pornographic and violent nature could push them to commit rape, orgies, murder, violence, suicide and other terrible things that they have seen or read about on the Internet. The psyche of not every adult can stand this kind of pressure and influence, to say nothing about the child’s psyche, which is more sensitive and vulnerable. Another pernicious influence of children’s access to pornography on the Internet is a fact of formation in their minds misconceptions about sexual relationships. Pornography shows this kind of physical intimacy between people as a commercial phenomenon that is devoid of any kind of love and deep feelings. It also promotes the extramarital sexual relationships, without any special attitude to them and realizing their significance. In a child who has seen pornography on the too young age, was mentally unprepared complexes may occur. The child may begin to be ashamed of his body, be afraid of what he saw. It can affect his relationship with his parents and with peers, particularly with the opposite sex. Such influence could eventually make a child an antisocial person.

Realizing the danger of the pornography’s viewing by children on the Internet, there is a question about how is possible to protect a child from this detrimental effect. Today, a number of programs that are capable of blocking sites with inappropriate content exist. By installing them, parents can ensure the safe use of the global network by their children. But it is worth to remember that the threats and dangers can trap a child not only at home but also at school, and while using the Internet by the means of a mobile phone. Therefore, parents should teach children the rules of safe Internet surfing, and explain why this is important. For prevention, it is also worth to check periodically what websites and programs the child uses most often. But it should not have an oppressive and paranoid character, as it may cause the opposite to the desired, irritability response from the child. 

Unregulated online space with plenty of information that promotes violence, immorality, lack of explanatory talks on this subject with the parents, leave children alone with the temptations and dangers, making them vulnerable to the destructive action of this machine. Parents need to understand that the child’s mind is not ready to meet with the information that is aimed exclusively at an adult audience. Images and videos of the pornographic directions can greatly affect the psyche of the child, so parents should try to limit the access to them. It is important to understand that they should not only block the access to such information but also helps the children understand that this is not right, to develop in them a sense of conscience and morality. Thus, children will be ready to make their awareness choice, respond to the intentional contact with pornography on the Internet not so acute. Children are our future, and what the people they will become highly dependent on the environment in which they grew up, what principles and morals, parents and entourage were able to instill in them.

Related essays