Psychotherapist, Dr. Sidney McGill is calling for educational institutions to educate parents on data management as a strategy to limit children’s exposure to pornography.
Speaking at a recent lecture hosted by The Issachar Foundation Jamaica, Dr. McGill, who holds a Master’s Degree in Counselling Psychology, diplomas in Clinical Sexology, and is a marriage and family therapist, highlighted the dangers of pornography, the effect that it has on the minds of children and young people, and how parents can help children with the issue.
During the lecture, he cited financial illiteracy and lack of parental attention as factors that influence children ending up exposed to this content and eventually becoming addicted.
“I think that is one of the problems with parents who are so computer illiterate,” he said. “Their goal is just to survive, buy food [put] on the table, pay the rent, then the utility bills, you know; everything else is secondary, including spending quality time with the child, because we don’t have the time.”
The American Psychological Association describes pornography as “writings or images (e.g., illustrations, films, digital media) with blunt, often exploitative sexual content designed solely to arouse a sexual response and to satisfy the sexual urges of the beholder.”
In 2023, the pornographic industry’s estimates range from $58 billion to $287 billion, with 73% of teens having consumed pornography. Studies done by Common Sense Media, a media organisation centred around providing schools and teachers with resources to aid children in navigating their well-being in the digital space, have also revealed that the average age of first exposure to pornography is 12.
Dr. McGill believes that institutions have to step in and counteract the issue of porn addiction in children.
“So this is where I think the school that the child attends [should get involved], and hopefully the church; hopefully that child gets to go to church. So many of them do not, and so there is no kind of counterbalance to the negative, that these children are exposed to.”
The psychotherapist also suggested that the Ministry of Education contribute to teaching parents to set boundaries for their children in the digital space.
“We’re going to have to teach parents basic skills in the use of computers, how to manage the restrictions, and setting boundaries, and I think courses like that need to be on the agenda for the Ministry of Education,” said Dr. McGill.
He also added that any institution may take on the role of teacher for parents in this digital age but emphasised that the Ministry of Education can contribute to establishing strategies to address pornographic addiction.
“The church could take it on if the church chooses to. I know the church has so many other areas to take on, but certainly I think the Ministry of Education needs to take it on and to be training through the PTA meetings,” he said before pointing out, “The guidance counsellors should be very involved in setting up groups because the guidance counsellors are the ones who are aware of who the problem children are and where the problem homes are.”
Dr. McGill expressed that reaching out to families where the issue of pornography is present is important, as some may not be willing to seek help. “We need to have social welfare; we need to be going out there visiting these homes. Because the children who are having the biggest problems, they are not the quietly preached at; they are hard to access, they are hard to find, so it means going out there and helping; going beyond the boundaries,” Dr McGill said.