Another excuse not to engage
“Porn filters will make parents even more complacent, they will claim then that they don’t need to chat with their children about what porn and all the research shows, they do,” he says.
Like many others in this country, he says parents are avoiding having these chats even though young people have never had greater access to highly sexualised images and videos.
“It’s a hangover from not talking about sex for years. I would never have spoken about porn as a teenager. There are huge issues around the reality of sex and the fantasy aspect of porn. But what is really dangerous is if young people are getting their sex education from it,” the 26-year-old executive director of the organisation says.
If kids are using porn sites for sex education, the blame must lie with parents and the formal education system, he believes.
“Sex education is wholly inconsistent in this country, some is professional and non-judgmental but some seems to come from an era where contraception is still outlawed.
“If you start young with kids and start building a repository of knowledge, showing a willingness to engage around it, you will then be helping them to make responsible, informed decisions. Remember, most teenagers are very sophisticated about social media if given the facts,” he says.
According to spunout.ie, the Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE) programme in the schools isn’t ‘connecting’ with young people because of the way it’s taught.
“It doesn’t talk to them. The teacher doesn’t need to be all uber cool but they have to try and connect with the child so they will listen, not be judgmental, remove their own views and just teach. But, probably because of the historical importance of the Church, sex is so political in this country, it is mad. What is dangerous, though, is that it is getting in the way of young people being taught about healthy, responsible relationships,” he says.
But the pornification of society hasn’t being caused by social media alone. “Just look at that film, Springbreakers, starring several former Disney stars. Eight-year-old kids would have identified a lot with those actors when they were with Disney.
“Now the same kids watching that movie are 14 and they are seeing the same former role models taking part in things like threesomes.”
This video went all around the world: a 17-year-old secondary school student who was recorded performing oral sex on two boys at Eminem’s concert at Slane Castle this summer. The girl from the West of Ireland was so badly affected by abuse received online that she had to be sedated by doctors.
Criticism of the boys, who can be seen giving themselves the thumbs up and being cheered on during the act, was much less widespread.
A graduate worker bumped into two well-known rugby stars after a night out and ended up having a threesome with them at a Dublin hotel.
Next day, she told a friend in a private Facebook message about her encounter, but her disclosure didn’t remain private, ending up as a screen grab on What’s app that went viral.
A video of the night was also allegedly circulated. The girl has said she was horrified at the breach of privacy.
Giovanna Plowman was vilified after she posted a video of herself removing a dirty tampon from her body and then sucking it.
Aged just 15 years old, she has said she did it for a dare and to see if it would make her famous. It has been suggested that the American died by suicide since. However, in a further indictment of social media, others have said her RIP site is a trolling site aimed at tormenting her, or else ‘adding’ to her online notoriety.
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