Lauren Sparks

The Sparks Notes

  • Home
  • About
  • Favorites
  • Policies
  • Contact

Help for the Porn Problem

August 8, 2019 by Lauren 22 Comments

Photo by Wesson Wang on Unsplash

There is no dignity when the human dimension is eliminated from the person.  In short, the problem with pornography is not that it shows too much of a person, but that it shows far too little.  from The Theology of the Body (there are many different written versions of this like this one).

 

This quote from Pope John Paul II kicks off a chapter on Pornography in A Practical Guide to Culture:  Helping the Next Generation Navigate Today’s World by John Stonestreet and Brett Kunkle.  I warned you here that I probably wasn’t done referencing this book yet.  If you have teens or tweens and haven’t picked it up yet, you definitely should.  In it, the authors quote Christian apologist Josh McDowell as saying, “The question is not ‘Will my kids see porn?’ but ‘How will they handle it when they do?'”  Frightening but true based on these statistics from The Covenant Eyes website:

*90% of boys and 60% of girls said they were exposed to pornography before the age of 18

*64% of Christian men and 15% of Christian women admit to watching porn at least once a month.

*One out of every 8 online searches and one out of every 5 mobile searches is for porn.

*Pornography takes up 1/3 of the Internet’s bandwidth.

 

That last one knocked the wind out of me. 

With everything available on the internet, a full third of it is porn!

Click To Tweet
Pornography used to be something found in plastic covered magazines behind the counter or hidden with a curtain at the video store.  But the internet has made it easy to find – even for those not looking for it.  And once you’ve seen it, studies show that it can be highly addictive, even changing the structure of the brain in similar ways to those of people addicted to drugs and alcohol.  Some of the ramifications of this type of addiction are distorted views of sexuality and risky behaviors, marital dissatisfaction and long lasting feelings of guilt and shame.  In addition to the personal damage porn causes, partakers of pornography are contributing to the ongoing problem of sex trafficking and the exploitation of women and children – whether they realize it or not.

 

With all of this at stake, we are wise to turn our attention to the possibility that anyone of any age can stumble into pornography on any computer or smart phone in reach.  There is help for the porn problem.  That’s why I want to tell you about a couple of companies doing good work to help the conscientious protect themselves and their children from the dangers of the internet.  Covenant Eyes, who provided the statistics listed above, provide screen accountability through monitoring, analysis and reporting for $15.99 per month on a family plan.  Their services are secure, private and comprehensive.  They offer customer support and a 30 day money back guarantee.  Check out their website here to see what protection and peace of mind they can provide.

 

The second company helps parents like me to easily monitor the phone, tablet or computer activity of children.  Before Bark, I checked up on my  teen’s phone by occasionally intercepting it and scrolling through texts, pictures and social media apps.  This was incredibly time consuming and inconvenient for everyone involved.  And yet I knew it was my responsibility to keep her safe.  Busy schedules and packed to-do lists often kept me from being timely and thorough.  But Bark monitors her texts, emails, social media accounts, internet searches and videos watched.  Bark claims to have the most coverage of any monitoring tool on the market.  Their technology scans and sends me an email every day of concerning activity.  And I decide what’s concerning to me.  The software detects language and images of a sexual, perverse, bullying or depressive nature.  I receive a snapshot of the infraction and then I decide how to address the issue.  No more reading through long text conversations and pouring over instagram.  My child has more privacy and I have more peace of mind.  It’s only $9 a month for the whole family and you can try for 7 days before you buy.  It is one of the best technology decisions I have made for our family.

 

Parenting in this age is hard, but there is help.  Authors Stonestreet and Kunkle recommend opening our eyes to “the breadth and depth of the consequences of porn” by reading The Porn Phenomenon:  The Impact of Pornography in the Digital Age, a study conducted by researchers from the Barna Group and Josh McDowell’s ministry.  You can also visit the National Center on Sexual Exploitation’s website for more information.  If you have questions about any of these resources, I would be happy to help in any way I can.  Comment below or email me at lauren@laurensparks.net.  And join me in praying for us, our children and our nation concerning the issues of pornography and internet safety.

 

Sharing is caring! If you liked this post, do me the huge honor of sharing it to your favorite social media accounts. And if you want to make sure you see each week’s post, subscribe!

 

And look up these great writers I link up with every week:

InstaEncouragements, Literacy Musing Mondays, Hello…Monday,

Dream Team link up, The Good. The Random. The Fun.

BloggerClubUK, Tea and Word Tuesday, Purposeful Faith,

GraceFull Tuesday Link-Up, Different Dream,

Let’s Have Coffee, Welcome Wednesday, Recharge Wednesday,

Worth Beyond Rubies, #TellHisStory Link Up, Porch Stories,

Encouraging Word Wednesday, Tune In Thursday,

Stories of Hope, Moments of Hope, IHeart Verse Link Party,

A Blogging Good Time, Fresh Market Friday, Feature Friday Time,

Friendship Friday Blog Hop, Faith on Fire, Traffic Jam Weekend,

Faith ‘n Friends, Dancing with Jesus, Grace & Truth, Booknificent

 

Lastly, my posts may contain affiliate links. If you purchase anything from one of these links, I will receive a few pennies to help offset the cost of this website at no additional charge to you. Thank you in advance for your help.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Let’s Connect

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

About Me

I love Jesus, my husband and caffeine. The order of these can change depending on how tired I am. When my two daughters, stepson, and 4 grandchildren get to be too much, I practice yoga. God graciously allows me to share our adventures, victories and flub-ups from my laptop. May He be glorified here.
Read More

Subscribe for Updates

Enter your information below to receive the latest updates from the blog!

Recent Posts

  • I’ve Got Tears in My Ears (and Other Funny Titles)
  • Verse Mapping Joy!
  • Grace Upon Grace
  • First Friday Prayers: Prayer for the Caregiver
  • The Grand Finale of February

Find Devotionals By Me in These Books and Click on Image for Order Information!

A 25-Week Bible Study with Topics from Abide to Zeal
A 26 week journey to a better prayer life.
30 devotionals for faith that moves mountains

For Sharing

Lauren Sparks

Like Podcasts? I’m on This One

…and This One! click to listen.

Click below to get a free trial of my favorite technology monitoring platform

Need More Than Just Monitoring? Find Filters and Accountability Here

Search This Site

Categories

Archives

Copyright © 2023 Lauren Sparks | Design by Traci Michele | Development by MRM

Stop!  Don't Miss Out!

I have a brand new e-book.  This was Not On My Bingo Card:  Essays on Cancer and Related Surprises is available to you FREE by simply subscribing to my blog!  

Invalid email address
I promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!