While it is not unusual behavior for adolescent males to be curious about pornography and explore their curiosity on the internet, this simple curiosity can escalate into a dangerous addiction that can have serious consequences.

Most parents initially minimize the problem, hoping their son is merely “experimenting”. This mistake is very unfortunate because internet pornography is the gateway to sex addiction. Often it happens so rapidly that most parents are oblivious to the problem until it’s too late. Additionally, there are those who preach that pornography use among teens is considered “normal” and consider seeking treatment for pornography addiction as an overreaction to typical teen behavior.

Because of the rapid developmental and maturity process of the teen brain, addiction can happen quicker than we are willing to believe. The problems of teenage pornography addiction are real, devastating, and increasing. Treatment is necessary to prevent the addiction from becoming a full blown sex addiction. Due to the easy access the internet provides, youth can move into more dangerous sexual behaviors on-line including:

-purchasing sexual products.

-participating in sexually related chats.

-learning about and experimenting with different aspects of sexuality such as bondage, homosexuality, anal sex, etc.

-giving out name and phone number to meet people in person.

-meeting face to face with someone he met online for sexual purposes.

-viewing illegal sexual material.

Parents should anticipate resistance from their teen when confronting them and suggesting the need for treatment. While many youth may deny their struggle, others may agree that they have a problem. Unfortunately, simply admitting it is a problem does not lead to termination of the behavior.
parents need to take the lead by seeking treatment for their child, holding them accountable for their internet activities and supporting them in their efforts to recover.