Sources for educating children on the harms of pornography

r By Miriam Hall

As Miss Springville/Mapleton 2017, my service platform is “Education on the Harms of Pornography,” and I’d like to introduce you to one of the best resources I’ve discovered in my effort.

Protect Young Minds is an organization with a mission to “empower parents, professionals and community leaders to protect young kids from pornography.” The website www.protectyoungminds.org is filled with information and resources to assist this effort.

The website is focused on three areas:r• Prepare and Prevent;r• Help and Heal;r• Share and Speak Up.

Prepare and Prevent:rThe Protect Young Minds website states, “Until the society makes the Internet safe for kids, parents must be proactive in teaching what pornography is, why it’s dangerous and exactly how to reject it. The good news is that YOU CAN DO IT.”

A “Quickstart Guide for Proactive Parents” is free and is full of helpful information and conversation guides. Every parent would benefit from reading this important guide.

Additionally, the site offers the free guide titled, “3 Secrets to Porn-Immune Kids.”

Help and Heal:rAlmost all children are exposed to pornography at some point in their young lives. The website offers the “SMART Plan for Parents: Helping Kids Who Have Seen or Sought Pornography.” This excellent guide is free and a must-have for all parents.

Share and Speak Up:rFor individuals who are interested in becoming part of the solution, Protect Young Minds offers a free ambassador kit that has several valuable resources to educate community members.

My hope is that every parent will visit www.protectyoungminds.org and benefit from the free guides and fantastic resources.