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In the United States, most children are first exposed to pornography by age 11. Although this statistic is startling and unpleasant to many, it’s also eye-opening. Pornography is readily available, so it’s important to know how to deal with your children when they are viewing it.

This article is not about how to deal with (or avoid) young children accidentally stumbling upon explicit content. Rather, we at KSL and LifeLine are focusing on a different situation: When your child has an addiction to pornography.

Although it’s disturbing to think that your child might have a serious problem, it’s important to respond in a supportive and understanding way. Below are five things to not do if your child is struggling with a pornography addiction:

1. Don’t get angry

If your child is constantly looking at pornographic images for stimulation, your initial reaction might be to freak out. In every case, this will further alienate you from your child, and prevent him or her from ever confiding in you in the future.

Even if you’ve stumbled upon a torrid search history, take a moment to get your bearings and calm down before discussing it with your child. The last thing you want to do is make him or her feel the need to hide the addiction from you at all costs.

Discussing your discovery in a calm and supportive manner lets your child know that he or she is loved and cared for and is not a bad person for having very normal reactions and feelings. It will also open up a dialogue in which you can work on obtaining addiction help.

2. Don’t ignore it

Pornography peddlers try to convey that viewing and using pornography is simply recreational, even healthy, but recent studies have found that viewing pornography, particularly at a young age, can cause serious problems later on.

Researchers have found if a person views pornography enough, it results in the same brain changes that take place with any other drug addiction. So unless you want your child to develop further problems, focus on helping him or her to stop.

Talk with your child about his or her feelings and focus on ways to replace harmful behaviors with healthy ones.

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3. Don’t get embarrassed

It’s natural for people, particularly children or adolescents, to feel stimulated when they are viewing pornography. In fact, studies show that the brain floods with dopamine during pornography, which is a common “feel good” chemical.

Accept that what your child is going through could happen to anyone, and he or she needs help to break the cycle. When you can avoid getting embarrassed, you can help your child understand that what he or she is going through is common, and there are solutions.

4. Don’t think you can handle it on your own

The very definition of addiction is when a person can no longer abstain from a certain substance or activity. If your child is struggling with a pornography addiction, it could adversely affect his or her view of sexuality and future relationships.

Addiction isn’t something that one person can stop alone, but your child likely needs more than parental support to help him or her rise above the addiction. By seeking professional addiction help, you’re providing your child with a pathway to real and lasting solutions.

5. Don’t lose hope

Anytime your child is dealing with a difficult time, it’s hard on you as well. Once you’ve obtained the help of a youth-focused addiction recovery professional, the next step is staying supportive of your child.

Despite relapses and secondary issues, there’s always hope that your child can recover from this addiction. Setbacks are never easy, but your child will have a much better chance if you continue to love him or her through it all.

To obtain pornography addiction help for your child, contact LifeLine or visit its site today.

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