Maybe some would call me overprotective. Or controlling. Or fearful of letting my kids grow up and explore and make mistakes like all kids do. And I might say they were right.
But I see danger in this generation of kids constantly connected to the cyber world, and I am fencing my kids off from it.
Here's the situation: My two oldest boys, ages 14 and 12, went to church recently and found out they are the only boys in the class who bring their scriptures on paper, bound in a book. Every other teen boy has their scriptures on their smart phone or their iPod. My boys have often asked for these devices, but we have held off for one main reason: any electronic device that can connect to the Internet can also expose them to pornography.
Pornography is evil. It is filthy, denigrating, vile sleaze. And it has affected people I know before--marriages have started and ended wrong because of it. As mentioned this past weekend in Conference, it's the one addiction that society hasn't started an uproar over--yet. I am willing to add my voice to a growing uproar to protest the harmful effects it brings to families. (See more information and join in the protest at pornharms.com.)
When it comes to my boys, I won't rationalize that all the good things they can find and do on a wi-fi connected device outweigh the risks. The harms that come from even accidental exposure to pornography are too great. So every device in my home that connects to the Internet is secured with a password, known only to my husband and me. The wi-fi router password in our home is kept secret. We no longer have satellite TV because there was just too much "borderline" content that was accessible, even with parental controls set up. Maybe I'm being a vigilante, but my kids are too precious to lose vigilance in this war. Their minds should be pure, their thoughts clean, their appreciation for the human body and intimate relations kept sacred.
So they'll have to use bound scriptures and old-fashioned "apps" like pencils and paper to learn at church. They have their fun toys and video games and e-readers--and use them under adult supervision. I hope they don't hate me for "ruining their life" or being "no fun." I just love them so much, I want them safe and happy and filled with positive influences in their life.
That's my personal position, my private war. I hope our society will eventually be successful in eradicating pornography--but until then, I'm protecting my kids the best I know how.
