6 Strategies For Teens To Overcome Pornography Addiction

Many teens nowadays watch pornography. They do so to satisfy their sexual curiosity and due to peer influence.

Therefore, as a parent, you should closely check what your child does on a computer or phone. Most importantly, you should monitor their behavioral changes to know if something is happening.

Common signs that your teen may be addicted to porn include engaging in premature sexual activity or increased sexual curiosity. Similarly, they may become more protective of their mobile devices.

While it can be a problematic encounter for a parent, there's always a way out in helping your teen. Check out the below strategies you may apply to help your child overcome the addiction.

1. Limit Internet Access and Monitor Their Devices

The first step to overcoming pornography addiction in teens may be to limit access to the internet and mobile devices. That is important as the majority of teens simply watch porn sites because they have the devices handy and internet access is available.

So, if you offer unrestricted internet access, find ways to limit it. Similarly, you may monitor the sites they visit and most searches they make.

Here are practical ways to restrict internet and monitoring devices:

Create restrictions on the home router. Ensure they don't have constant access to the internet every time.

Use parental controls to block adult websites on their devices. You can do this by allowing the Google safe search feature or setting parental controls on Google Play and App Store.

Check for any open networks near your home and block them. You may also ask the owners to create strong passwords.

2. Help Teens with Stress Management

The majority of teens may watch porn content because they are stressed and lonely.

They may be dealing with challenges at school or home when you are not around. And since they have a phone or access to the internet, they may be using porn to free their mind from the thing stressing them.

If you have noticed your child watches porn, watch out for signs of stress. Try talking to them; they may open up to you about something. Besides talking to them, let the teen get enough sleep and a balanced diet, and seek the help of a counselor if the mental issue is severe.

Proper stress management may help your teen focus and avoid pornography addiction.

3. Approach and Talk to Them

The last thing you should think of doing to your kid is punish or ignore them when you notice their porn addiction.

Instead, you should bring the child close to you so they can open up. Assuming you already have evidence of them watching porn, schedule a one-on-one talk with them. Ask your teen why they have been watching porn and when the behavior started. Be kind and avoid raising your voice so they can be open to you.

Whether they open up to you or not, try to educate them on the dangers of pornography addiction and why they should focus on important activities instead. After the talk, monitor your child's behavior to ensure they respond positively.

4. Talk to Teens about Sexuality

It's easy for a teen to be swayed by the influence of peers. If the peers are talking about porn or watching it, chances are high they will also want to try it. As a parent, you should bridge the gap by being closer to the teen and possibly talking to them about sexual health.

Some of the teens who watch porn only do so to learn what they don't know. When you speak to them about sex and its negative impacts, they may stop. Let them know that porn addiction may make the child want to try sex physically, and they may get early pregnancy or get infected with diseases.

Be close with your child, and offer ongoing lessons about their sexual health. With time, the teen may lose interest in porn watching.

5. Keep Teens Busy If They Are Idle

Perhaps your teen spends too much time on their mobile devices because they are idle. If that is the case, help your child enroll in school or find another useful activity. However, you should apply the tactics mentioned above, including talking to them, even if you keep them busy.

Besides schooling, encourage your teen to play their favorite sports, cook, attend church, and explore local attractions on foot. If possible, you can motivate your teen to help with daily gardening chores, and you pay something small for motivation.

6. Seek Professional Help

Dealing with teens is not always easy, and you may need to involve a professional at some point. There are experienced psychological therapists who talk to children, mainly teenagers, and they may be helpful to your teens.

Let the child know that someone will be coming to speak to them to prepare them psychologically. After some time, you might see an improvement in their behavior.

Conclusion

Porn addiction is pretty common among teens, as 73% of them have watched it at some point.

Increased use of the internet, as well as availability to mobile devices, is the leading reason why teens watch it. However, you can commit to helping teens avoid addiction by applying any or all of the above-discussed methods.

Restrict time spent on mobile devices. Limit the internet, and most importantly, be ready to talk to the teen. Seek professional help when if you don't notice a positive change.