Your Child’s Online Safety Should Come First

Your child’s computer may seem an indispensable tool for accessing a wealth of information, but it does have its dark side, particularly if it allows your child to access the web. There is a possibility that your teen may be the target of exploitation by unscrupulous individuals, those who have no hesitation when it comes to victimizing the naïve and unwary, especially with such an anonymous medium as the web. As always, information and guidance is the best recourse, and your child needs to know about the basics of the safe use of the internet before he or she is allowed the privilege of using it.

If the computer is a relatively new accessory in your house it may serve to the best interest if you place it a communal room (such as the den or the living room), even if it is intended only for your child. This lets you supervise (in a discreet way) your child’s online activities, enabling you to step in on those which cross security boundaries.

Online offenders will also have a tough time getting through to your child if you are there to see through obvious luring ploys. In fact, you can take over such conversations, in an effort to snare the offender at his or her own game.

Make sure that your child is aware of the dangers of the internet, and spend some time with him or her online familiarizing yourself with your child’s favorite sites, as well as any other sites he or she may take a fancy on. You may enforce parental control over which sites your child may or may not browse with the help of inhibition software from your service provider. If ever your child browses adult videos online or comes across a website which carries adult videos, step in to monitor the content, and explain to your child that adult videos aren’t necessarily harmful, but at present it is inappropriate for him or her at such a young age.

Online chatting is a great medium for meeting friends and venting out your teenager’s take on various issues, but do remind your child that it is also a potential lurking ground for offenders. To this end, you should closely monitor your child’s chat room activities, particularly those conversations which seem too close for comfort.

You may also want to gain access to your child’s email and other online accounts, as he or she can also be reached through these mediums. Make sure you explain to your child your reasons for requesting access to otherwise personal accounts; the effort is geared more towards protecting his or her safety than encroaching on privacy.

Be realistic; your child has other means of access to the web other than the computer terminal at home. Have him or her commit to an informed agreement that online browsing and chatting will be done responsibly, whether at the school or at the local library, and at the homes of friends which also have internet access. There is a chance that an online predator can slip through the cracks and make contact with your child from these places. As such, information is probably the best way to keep him or her secure while online, and it is by far the best preventive measure against online exploitation.


Adult Movies Come Out of the Closet

Tell me the truth, have you watched an adult movie? At least one? .

In the aftermath of the roaring seventies, I think that the world moved to the other extreme. As a result, we saw everything that could be deemed risque being pushed into the closet. It has taken all this time and we are finally beginning to accept some truths. One of these truths is that not all adult videos are about sleaze and that such videos can provide some other values.

Right off the cuff what I can think about is the fact that porn can be a great assistant in rekindling ones intimate life. It was commonly reported that couples that watched others in intimate situations would somehow get encouraged to do likewise.

I do not know the scientific basis of this kind of behavior, but I can hazard a guess. There are quite likely two stages involved here. On the one hand, the couple would probably have to overcome some initial inhibition to indulge in the very act of watching adult material together. I am sure that it can be more than just a little embarrassing to watch these videos in the presence of another person. So if a couple mutually decided to watch these videos, there is clearly a high degree of understanding and maturity in that couple.

The second part probably relates to the actual content of these movies. For a moment think about the relationship and romance angle of these movies. If there were no sex involved, probably no one would have any objection to these movies. Then in real life, if there were a serious belief that sex is a natural consequence of a healthy relationship then why would celluloid not reflect this fact? That is where the logic of adult movies becomes more compelling.

And before we could shout, “Yahoo!” we find that the cyber world is a reality staring at us. Not just is it one of the least regulated kind of media, it is also a medium where content creation is now something that everyone is empowered with. So, anyone with a keyboard is now a small media mogul by himself or herself. To take this to the next level, anyone with a video camera is now a producer and director.

This turned out to be the renaissance period of adult movies. Just about every realm and genre of adult entertainment started testing its limits and was limited only by the consumers desire and choice.

What do you think about adult movies? Would you say that it is fair game and to each one his or her own? Or are you a believer that society, as a whole needs to somehow be “protected” from such movies?

I think that differences in culture and belief systems will finally decide if we get more permissive or more closeted. I would much rather take a middle path. What do you think you would like to do?