Two-thirds of young women and nearly half of young men agree that it would be easier growing up if pornography was less easy to access, according to Enough.org, an international movement dedicated to raising awareness about the harms of internet pornography, sexual predators, cyberbullying, sex trafficking and other dangers.
Roughly 93 percent of boys and 62 percent of girls have seen online pornography before the age of 18, with 11 being the average age of first exposure, the site states.
To help families battle such statistics, Ringgold United Methodist Church is hosting an event to help parents monitor their children's internet consumption.
Since the internet is the No. 1 entry point into the sex trafficking industry for teens, the evening is meant to be a followup to an event the church held in mid-February to raise awareness of sex trafficking, said RUMC youth minister Bobby Fleck.
He encourages families to come together to learn about internet dangers in a PG fashion, as well as what can be done to limit them.
The night will begin with a lecture from Fort Safety, an organization that teaches parents and guardians how to protect their kids from internet dangers. While discussing common issues such as cyberbullying and cyber sexual predators, parents will be encouraged to monitor and filter their kids' internet behaviors and activities, Fleck said. This could include using privacy settings, setting age appropriate filters and monitoring browser history.
"We have all seen some pretty bad stuff online that we wish we hadn't, but no one is talking about it, until now," said Fleck.
Typical tween and teen behaviors including sexting as well as the effects of social media will also be discussed.
According to Enough.org, 33.8 percent of teens have been victims of cyberbullying in their lifetime, 32 percent admit to searching for porn online, and 54 percent of young adults ages 18-22 admitted to sexting as minors.
The event also includes a question-and-answer session with an expert panel: John Winstanley of Fort Safety; Steve Sawyer, director of technology for Catoosa County Schools; Leanna Cathey with the state's Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children, Capt. Chris Lyons of the Catoosa County Sheriff's Office; James Harris of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation; and Adam Cathey, a local lawyer. The audience will be able to submit questions for the panel via text or postcard.
"Beyond education and awareness, we are wanting to equip parents with practical tools and strategies to keep their kids safe on the internet," Fleck said. "The goal of this evening is to provide the audience with the feeling that lets them say 'I can do this.'"
Sign up to attend at myrumc.org. The event is Sunday, March 25 beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Email Alexandra Farmer at afarmer@timesfreepress.com.