The case of   the teenage girls in Almendralejo, Badajoz,   has awakened many parents, who are realizing how defenseless their children are against the misuse of technological advances, facilitated by AI, by unscrupulous individuals and the digital platforms that enable it. These teenagers failed to control their impulses and did not consider the consequences of their actions, (…). This led them to violate everyone’s right to privacy. It is well known how pedophiles use AI to produce child pornography. Certainly, laws must be established to regulate the use of AI and telephone and social networks, and we must also appeal to the personal ethics of their users.

Many of our   children and young people consume pornography   because they can access it with a single click on the internet using their mobile phones. It’s fair to say that pornography has colonized the internet. And I ask myself, why aren’t protective barriers or gates put in place? Why aren’t the major producers of “porn” or the websites that distribute it shut down? A law could sweep away or eliminate most of this content from digital platforms. Some experts claim that online pornography is more harmful than prostitution.

Children start watching pornographic images at 6 or 7 years old, and by age 12, many of them are hooked.

Pornography  objectifies and dehumanizes people, treating them as mere objects to be used and discarded. This is especially true for women, who are attacked outright instead of defended, a stance contrary to the much-discussed advocacy for women’s rights today. Pornography denigrates the individual and disrespects their dignity.

Currently,   pornography is being normalized as part of sexual activity, to the point that people talk about “my porn” without the slightest hesitation, as British sociologist   Frank Furedi points out . There is an attempt to normalize what is not normal, even through porn actors, also called “porn stars,” who are presented as such on  programs aimed at young people , such as “La Resistencia.” Studies already reveal that the life expectancy of porn actors is around 36 years. Many of them die from drugs or sexually transmitted diseases, or end up committing suicide.

Furthermore, it has been shown that   pornography  alters  brain function and behavior   in the same way as a drug. As   Kevin Majeres , PhD, professor at Harvard Medical School, states, the brain does not distinguish between pornographic images and reality. The consumer’s sexual desire increases with each image in which they see a new partner.

Children and young people’s consumption of pornography can     affect school performance, encourage the use of harmful substances and depressive symptoms, promote less healthy and more violent lifestyles, and encourage paid sex.

Many of the lives of people addicted to pornography are broken and filled with suffering. It is urgent to help and protect them. Most users need some kind of therapy to break free, but even then it’s not easy, and they often relapse. The sad thing, as   Anna Plans points out   in her book  “Respect My Sexuality ,” is that children start seeing pornographic images as young as 6 or 7, and by age 12, many of them are addicted.

Currently, boys are more inclined to consume pornography than girls, but the percentage of girls is increasing. According to data from the website “Dale una vuelta,”   the percentage of teenage boys who access pornographic material is around 93%, while for girls it is 62% . In the case of adults, the percentage of male consumption reaches 80%, while for women it is half that.

Experts point out that most people addicted to pornography tend to have emotional deficiencies. However, internet pornography consumption, in both young people and adults, can also be due   to excessive free time, boredom, lack of motivation, or a lack of true meaning in life, coupled with its easy access online.

The pornography industry earns more than $60 billion each year.

It’s important to remember that the major social problem caused by pornography consumption is driven by the pornography industry, which is solely concerned with making money. One could say that   the pornography industry trades in human flesh . Some media outlets report that the pornography industry generates over $60 billion annually, and there are approximately 15 million websites dedicated to “XXX” content, many of which are pay-per-view or feature advertising. There are accounts on various social networks that emulate a “black market” for child pornography.

It is a reality that   more and more people are seeking help from psychologists and psychiatrists every day   to overcome their addiction to pornography, even though it is not yet considered a psychiatric disorder. In addition to what has already been mentioned, pornography consumption should be rejected because it causes violence, corruption of minors, abuse, moral harm, and other problems.

I am convinced that parents must   demand that public authorities  rid us of this scourge , through laws or whatever means are necessary—because they exist—to protect their children and young people from early exposure to pornography. In countries like Canada, France, and England, various measures have already been taken to prevent children and young people from accessing pornographic websites via their mobile phones. Private initiatives against pornography consumption already exist, such as the Hilton hotel chain, which does not offer pornography on the televisions in its rooms.

But without a doubt,   the primary means of protection , as in many other cases,   should be proper sex education for children by their parents , without neglecting a good education in their emotions and feelings. Strengthening family life would be a good antidote to pornography consumption. Parents must be aware that their greatest treasure, which they must protect and prepare for life, is their children. Therefore,   parents must begin by being at home   to provide security for their children and make it easier for them to share their concerns, difficulties, needs, etc., often through play or by doing some kind of craft activity around the house. This idea was shared with me, almost simultaneously, by two mothers, both accomplished professionals, and very aware that the first step is   to dedicate time   to their children in order to then guide them. Both are named Pilar, and it has been gratifying for me to see that they are both excellent role models for their children.

It may help to remember that,    according to the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE),  “to educate”  means: “to develop or perfect the intellectual and moral faculties of a child or young person through precepts, exercises, examples, etc.”  But it can also be very enlightening for parents to understand and reflect on the two etymological meanings of this word. The first etymological root of “educate” is   *educare*,   which means to orient or guide, and the second root, *   ex*   and   *ducere*   , which means to reveal or expose to the outside, that is, to bring out the best in each person from the inside out. Ultimately, to educate, parents must guide their children, welcome them, accompany them, and dedicate time to them to bring out the best in each one. To accomplish this undoubtedly fascinating task, they must be with them, they must know how to listen to them, they must learn to anticipate their needs, (…). Much has been written about the need to listen as the first condition for helping another person; so much so, that, although not exactly the same, there is already a book,  *Learning to Listen to Your Dog* , by   Jan Fennell   , which is in its fourth edition.

The goal of parents, like that of an educator, should go beyond meeting their material or academic needs, to make them good people, friends of the truth, (…)

Parents need to understand that   authority, discipline, and effort are not in vogue , because the prevailing tendency is to believe that children and young people are capable of imposing a discipline that springs spontaneously from the depths of their being. The goal of parents, like that of an educator, should extend beyond meeting their children’s material or academic needs; it should be to raise them to be good people, friends of truth, (…) so that they become strong, responsible, and free individuals. Children, even if it takes time, appreciate the effort and love their parents put into their upbringing.

I believe it is worthwhile to consider the three reasons that   Gregorio Luri   lists regarding family authority in his article  “Authority in Emotional Times,”  published on May 2nd in Aceprensa, which I will now mention:

• The child needs strong allies to fight the monsters that are always under the bed.
• What shapes a child is the raising of their gaze towards the eyes of their parents, not the other way around.
• Children naturally possess much more energy than common sense to control it, so if anyone has to compensate for the child’s lack of common sense, it is the adult.

Parents have a responsibility to educate   their children, and to do so, they must be willing  to recharge their own batteries by stepping outside their comfort zone, each according to their needs, by attending parenting classes or family guidance courses, reading good books, and so on. Some parents still believe that schools are responsible for educating their children and, in the case at hand, that parental controls or similar measures on digital devices are sufficient.

Schools and associations should collaborate, in a subsidiary capacity, with parents in the sex education of their children. However, in many educational centers,   sex education programs   have a strong ideological bias that is not preventing pornography consumption, hypersexualization, or reducing sexual assaults committed by adolescents and young adults. These programs pay little attention to the healthy emotional development of young people as a means of prevention. Nor do they emphasize helping them understand the true meaning of sexuality.

As John Paul II indicated, it is urgent to develop a healthy pedagogy of human sexuality, contrary to the view of sexuality as pure domination over the other.

The world needs   free people , with clean and noble hearts, (…). As John Paul II indicated, it is urgent to develop a healthy pedagogy of human sexuality, contrary to the view   of sexuality as pure domination over the other.

Unfortunately, the case of the teenagers in Almendralejo, Badajoz, has already been replicated in Ayamonte, Huelva, and, much to our regret, it will not be the last. Therefore,   parents must be vigilant, report any incidents, and demand laws or other means to protect their children,   but without forgetting that they are their children’s primary educators and must   dedicate time and affection to them .

Article published in  El Confidencial