Sean Brooks, Executive Director of Oxbow Academy, spoke with Lon Woodbury and Liz McGhee about how pornography harms child development on the L.A. Talk Show about Parent Choices for Struggling Teens. The show is sponsored by Father Flanagan's Boys Town. Host Lon Woodbury is an Independent Educational Consultant in Idaho while Co-Host Liz McGhee is the admissions director for Sandhill Child Development Center in New Mexico. They discussed with Sean how pornography has got worse over the past thirty years and how teens are being targeted as customers.
About Sean Brooks
Sean Brooks is the Executive Director and Co-Owner of Oxbow Academy in Utah. This is a Residential Treatment Center (RTC) for adolescent teen males struggling with sex-related behavior concerns. He got a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Brigham Young University and started his professional growth in residential therapy in 1992. He has served as a program supervisor for 3 centers, 2 of which specialized in managing teen kids with sex-related issues.
Understanding How Pornography Harms Child Development
The discussion started with trying to determine the meaning of pornography. Since it is a complicated subject, Sean determined pornography to be any media with explicit human sexuality concentrated on stimulating the viewer. Lon added that it interested the base, crude, and primitive instincts of the person watching it.
Liz asked how pornography had altered over the past 30 years. Sean described 3 fundamental changes. Initially, there were numerous barriers to getting accessibility to adult material for youth in the past; today an Internet connection made it easy to access all kinds of porn, regardless of how bizarre. Second, the variety of pornography was broader and there was no restriction to the amount offered. Third, there was more violence linked with pornography.
Pornography was harmful to young children and teenagers, Sean explained, because it was an addiction. Apparently, the human brain has five pleasure centers and while substance abuse stimulated three out of five of these centers, pornography stimulated them all. By increasing dopamine, a highly pleasurable endorphin, teens used pornography as a coping mechanism. However, by avoiding real-life problems, they failed to develop emotionally and develop necessary social skills. Additionally, pornographic images resulted in distorted values and disrupted harmonious relationships.
Sean also talked about what parents could do to help their child and the types of treatment available for this addiction. Although the pornography industry thrived on powerful stealth techniques -- like secrecy, shame, and fear --parents and society can still take practical steps to keep their children safe.
About Sean Brooks
Sean Brooks is the Executive Director and Co-Owner of Oxbow Academy in Utah. This is a Residential Treatment Center (RTC) for adolescent teen males struggling with sex-related behavior concerns. He got a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Brigham Young University and started his professional growth in residential therapy in 1992. He has served as a program supervisor for 3 centers, 2 of which specialized in managing teen kids with sex-related issues.
Understanding How Pornography Harms Child Development
The discussion started with trying to determine the meaning of pornography. Since it is a complicated subject, Sean determined pornography to be any media with explicit human sexuality concentrated on stimulating the viewer. Lon added that it interested the base, crude, and primitive instincts of the person watching it.
Liz asked how pornography had altered over the past 30 years. Sean described 3 fundamental changes. Initially, there were numerous barriers to getting accessibility to adult material for youth in the past; today an Internet connection made it easy to access all kinds of porn, regardless of how bizarre. Second, the variety of pornography was broader and there was no restriction to the amount offered. Third, there was more violence linked with pornography.
Pornography was harmful to young children and teenagers, Sean explained, because it was an addiction. Apparently, the human brain has five pleasure centers and while substance abuse stimulated three out of five of these centers, pornography stimulated them all. By increasing dopamine, a highly pleasurable endorphin, teens used pornography as a coping mechanism. However, by avoiding real-life problems, they failed to develop emotionally and develop necessary social skills. Additionally, pornographic images resulted in distorted values and disrupted harmonious relationships.
Sean also talked about what parents could do to help their child and the types of treatment available for this addiction. Although the pornography industry thrived on powerful stealth techniques -- like secrecy, shame, and fear --parents and society can still take practical steps to keep their children safe.
About the Author:
Find out more about Struggling Teens. Lon Woodbury has the recorded the entire interview on his L.A. Talk Radio show for you to listen to at anytime.