Recently I got the awesome opportunity to talk to a group of high schoolers about the harmful effects of pornography on the brain, love, and world. It is always interesting to see how engaged they are when we talk about what many think are taboo topics. Porn, like many sins, thrive in the dark. For example, it is believed that 50% of pastors view porn on any given month. Darkness. Sex in general is an interesting topic, one that many of us think about daily yet talk about much less frequently. Students however, love to talk about things that are awkward. They are curious and have yet to buy in to the idea that somethings are unspeakable. The only way we can change things, is to talk openly and frequently about such things.
Porn is a 10 to 14 BILLION dollar a year industry. This is more than the US government spent on foreign aid last year.
Let that stat sink in. Many who view porn, do so for free. So this number doesn’t even scratch the surface of how wide reaching it is.
Almost 1/3 of all porn viewers are women and this number is on the rise.
Working with students has given me chances to invest in their struggles. Recently, I have encountered more and more girls who struggle. It is not simply a “guys issue”.
The demand for porn continues to fuel the market for sex trafficking across the world. 300,000 teens every year are victims of sex trafficking.
Only 1% of these teens are identified, while the life expectancy of these teens is roughly 7 years after often dying of HIV or murder.
This is shocking. The world has casually accepted porn as normal. “Just boys being boys”. This attitude needs to stop and I am crazy enough to believe that this generation can stop what more and more are labeling as an epidemic.
Here is how YOU can help:
- Get educated. Websites like www.fightthenewdrug.com are doing incredible work at educating in a relevant and culturally sensitive way.
- Stand UP and OUT. Fight for equality. Jokes about women, bathroom humor, and “that’s what she said” jokes should not be tolerated. This only perpetuates inequality
- Get HELP. Odds are, you or someone you know struggle with porn. This is nothing to be ashamed of. You are not alone in this. https://www.xxxchurch.com is a great resource for helping in recovery. There is hope.
Matt simon blog 