Let’s be honest: pornography is one of those topics most people would rather avoid. It’s
uncomfortable, it’s messy, and it feels “private.” But pretending it isn’t shaping our kids, our
relationships, and even our public safety doesn’t make the problem go away. In a world
where an 11-year-old with a smartphone can access more explicit content in five minutes
than previous generations saw in a lifetime, this is no longer just a personal matter: it’s a
community one. Research indicates that 70–90% of teens have already been exposed to
pornography online—not because they sought it out, but because it found them.

Pornography Isn’t Harmless Entertainment—The Brain Treats It Like a Drug

One of the biggest myths is that porn is “just pictures” or “just videos.” Neuroscience says
otherwise. A widely cited line of research has linked pornography use with changes in brain
regions responsible for reward and decision-making, including reduced gray matter volume
and desensitization—patterns long associated with addiction. A 2025 study of real-time
brain activity found that frequent users showed altered brain activity, and they performed
worse on a standard focus, control and decision task than peers who used pornography less
often.

In plain terms: repeated use can rewire the brain’s reward system, increasing cravings while
dulling self-control. That’s concerning for adults; it’s deeply worrying for kids whose brains
are still setting the patterns that will steer them into adulthood. Kids are naturally curious,
and that’s right and healthy. Children don’t process explicit content the way adults do.
Studies warn that early exposure can disrupt healthy sexual development and trigger
trauma-like responses—withdrawal, dissociation, and emotional dysregulation—especially
when the content involves degrading or violent behavior. Kids often fill in the blanks with
shame or confusion, and those feelings can harden into distorted ideas about intimacy and
consent if we don’t intervene with honest guidance.

The bottom line? Pornography is teaching kids about intimacy and sex before adults do—and it’s teaching them dangerous, scary, damaging and just plain wrong things.

Behind Every Image Is a Story—Sometimes a Victim

We also must acknowledge those harmed in making pornography as real humans, not just
objects to use and discard. With the rise of generative AI, “deepfake” adult and even child
sexual abuse material is proliferating, producing images and videos so realistic that they
strain investigative resources, complicate victim identification, and expand the harm and
abuse into the physical world. On the internet, this can continue indefinitely, trapping
survivors in a cycle where their abuse is watched, shared, and monetized long after the fact.
Normalizing pornography means normalizing the industry dynamics that make that exploitation profitable.

Community Norms Are Not Neutral

Kids learn what adults model, and they’re always watching. When pornography becomes a
joke, a rite of passage, or background noise in youth culture, it blurs boundaries young
people desperately need. Early exposure can feed impulsive or coercive behavior in
relationships later on, as adolescents try to manage conflicting emotions & sexual
expectations without a healthy pattern.

This isn’t about panic. It’s about setting norms that actually protect children and support
healthy relationships.

What We’re Doing—And What Still Needs Doing

The good news is that our community has started moving. The Griffin Family Foundation of
Audrain County recently sponsored local presentations from Fight the New Drug — a
non-religious, non-lobbying educational organization — delivered with support from the 12th
Circuit Juvenile Office, ACCIS (domestic and sexual violence resources), the Audrain County
Health Department, and the Audrain County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. FTND’s simple
challenge to young people and families — “consider before consuming” — embodies the kind
of informed, values-based decision-making we want for our kids.

Parents today face an impossible task: trying to protect their kids from a digital world that
never sleeps, is relentless and unfeeling, and knows every psychological trick to keep their
attention. Kids can accidentally stumble onto explicit content while doing homework.

When warning signs show up—sudden secrecy, major mood swings, compulsive screen
use—adults should respond with calm, support, and clear expectations. Clinicians who
work with families report that early exposure is often accompanied by shame, isolation, or
impulsive behavior; compassionate accountability and open dialogue are key.

Schools, churches, youth organizations, and healthcare providers can help by normalizing
age-appropriate conversations about online risks, consent, empathy, and relational skills;
by providing trusted spaces where kids can ask hard questions; and by partnering with
parents on reasonable device boundaries. (Resources are available at fightthenewdrug.org,
and the community supporting groups named above.)

Accountability Protects Kids—and Signals Our Values

Education matters. So does enforcement and accountability. My office knows there is strong
support for sentencing guidelines and sex-offender registration in cases involving child
sexual abuse material. Communities view these crimes as among the most serious, and for
good reason. Our community is learning more about the stakes Accountability protects
victims, deters potential offenders, and makes clear what our community will not tolerate.
As technology evolves, the law and our local practices must keep pace to safeguard children
in both physical and digital spaces.

Love, Honor, Truth—Values Worth Living Out Loud

If we truly care about our children, our relationships, and the safety of our neighbors, we
can’t afford to shrug at the impact of pornography or leave young people to navigate it alone.
Love means having awkward conversations and protecting innocence without shaming
curiosity & normal development. Honor means treating people as human, not objects. Truth
means acknowledging the research, even when it’s uncomfortable, and committing to do
better by our kids.

What we normalize, we nurture. So let’s normalize conversations, not silence. Let’s
normalize protection, not passivity. Let’s normalize compassion, accountability, and the
courage to speak up.

Our kids are watching. Our choices today will shape their tomorrow. A safer, healthier future
is within reach in Audrain County — if we choose it together.