| Picture this: You’re a parent of a 13-year-old girl who is just starting to discover the world of social media. As you’re aware that the online world can pose some dangers to kids, you try to do a bit of research on the various apps your daughter is using, to make sure they’re safe. There’s one in particular she spends most of her time on, and you haven’t heard of it before. It’s called “Kik.” Doing your due diligence, you browse the Kik website to see what this app is all about. Much to your comfort, the website is full of assurances that Kik is “built especially for teens,” and offers teens a “fun, safe place to connect.” You’re more than satisfied. What a stroke of luck that, of all the apps your daughter could have chosen as her favorite, she happened to settle on one that was specifically designed for kids her age! . . . Or so you thought.
Read about why Kik is anything but built to keep teens safe here. |
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| This week is Eating Disorders Awareness Week. Did you know that research shows pornography use is associated with eating disorder symptoms and/or body dissatisfaction? This is the case for teens, adults, women, men, and sexual minorities. It can affect anyone. Sometimes, a person doesn't even need to consume pornography themselves to be affected. Research has also shown that a partner's pornography consumption can have an impact. For example, one 17-year old girl says: "I began to wonder why [my boyfriend] still consumed pornography if I was in his life. Was I not good enough? Would I ever be good enough? Is he pretending to like what he sees in me? Am I skinny enough? This was where my suffering began. Somehow I got the sick, twisted idea in my head that as long as my boyfriend was hooked to porn, I would have to get skinnier; more beautiful . . . If I would have stayed in that relationship, I would’ve slowly slipped away. Pound by pound." Read more about the concerning links between pornography use, body dissatisfaction, and eating disorders here. |
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