Adolescent health: 9 of 10 boys, 6 of 10 girls exposed to porn, say Experts

Former president of the Adolescent Health Academy, JS Tuteja cited a study by psychologist Dominic F Dixon, in which it was found that in India, a child as young as 11 years is exposed to pornography

Nine out of 10 boys and six out of 10 girls, below the age of 18, in the country, are exposed to pornographic content which is easily available on the internet, claimed experts at the North Zone Adolescon 2020 held at Dumra Auditorium in Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, on Sunday.

Discussing the topic, ‘Pornography: The Rising Epidemic’, experts stated that pornography is as bad as drug addiction.

Former president of the Adolescent Health Academy, JS Tuteja cited a study by psychologist Dominic F Dixon, in which it was found that in India, a child as young as 11 years is exposed to pornography. Besides, there are at least 1.16 lakh requests every day for pornography videos in India online.

“Pornography promotes violence and objectification of women and sex trafficking, besides destroying relationships,” said Tuteja, adding that the government should take steps to check the exposure of children to pornography. “Curiosity about sex is a normal part of a child’s development. If your child comes across pornography by mistake, they are likely to need reassurance and support,” he said.

BRIDGE COMMUNICATION GAP

AS Chawla, the national chairperson of the adolescent health academy, said the communication gap between parents and children should be bridged. “Parents should spend time with their children and listen to the issues of their children. There should be no use of gadgets during family time and parents should keep a watch on their children’s online activities,” he said.

LIMIT SCREEN TIME

Chawla also said that early exposure to mobile phones is harmful to kids’ health. He highlighted that many parents give mobile phones even to kids below the age of 2, which should not be done as it leads to brain damage.

Chawla said that apart from this, the stress-level among adolescents is increasing which should be reduced. “Children should be given a proper diet. He/she should not be served processed food such as chips, soft drinks, and bread. Children should get proper sleep and should exercise at least 1 hour daily,” he added.

Experts from Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal participated in the discussion which touched several topics, including pubertal changes, anticipatory guidance, stress, anger, bullying, sexuality, hypertension, anger, and aggression.