It’s not enough any more to cover just ‘the birds and the bees’ as many more children are seeing adult content before their teens Jess Melendez is an educator and the author of Porn is Not Sex Ed! It’s not exactly every parent’s dream dinner-table conversation: “Mum, what’s porn?” But whether we like it or not, many children stumble across mainstream internet pornography. A recent study in the UK found that more than a quarter of children encounter porn online before the age of 11. In the US, studies show the average age of first exposure to online porn is 12, with some encountering it earlier. For many parents, that knowledge can spark panic: “What if this is the first place my child learns about sex? What if they think that’s what real intimacy looks like?” Here’s the good news: you don’t need to panic, but you do need to prepare. The truth is, your child will be exposed to ideas about sex, whether through peers, media or yes, pornography. And it will happen – long before you’d ideally want it to. The most protective factor isn’t monitoring phones or giving lectures. It’s you showing up as an honest, calm and approachable parent. Jess Melendez is an educator and the author of Porn is Not Sex Ed! Sign up for our new weekly newsletter Matters of Opinion, where our columnists and writers will reflect on what they’ve been debating, thinking about, reading and more Continue reading...