Fingertip Porn

Now that I have your attention, let me explain. Pornography has never been more accessible as it is right now. I would say that 70% of the middle school students I know have cell phones and texting capabilities. That means that any of them at any time can receive pornography via text messaging. It blows my mind to think that pornography is being passed around, even during the school day. Don't believe me? Check this out. And this. This is scary stuff, especially for parents.

So the big question is what do we do about it? Cell phones are really convenient for kids to have. I agree with this statement, but at what point does convenience need to take a backseat to safety. I am not saying that we have to start taking cell phones away completely, but I am saying that middle school students should not be entitled to any kind of privacy with these phones. It's for their own good. Most importantly, our students need to be educated about pornography and its pitfalls. There will come a day (if it hasn't happened yet) where parents will not able to protect, and students have to make their own choice about pornography. Therefore, its more important to warn and educate then just restrict.

What is most troublesome to me are the teenage girls that are sending nude pictures of themselves via text message to their friends. These girls are driving on a dead end street. So the education is for both girls and boys...and its the responsibility of parents partnering with the church. Parents, let's not bury our head in the sand about this...it's happening, and most likely your kids know all about it. Talk to them.

More information and practical action steps for parents.