Preparing my Children for a World Full of Pornography

Now that I have a little boy, I spend a large amount of my time focusing on how I can protect him from, and prepare him for this world. I am becoming more and more aware of pornography, and the devastating effects it can have on individuals, their families, and their lives. It is so easily and accidentally accessed, and the effects are so detrimental, I feel it is one of Satan's greatest tools for destroying people and their families. I feel like there are so many things I can prepare my son for. I can give him the tools and knowledge he needs to be successful in many ways, but I am struggling to figure out the best ways to prepare him for, and protect him from pornography, and the very thought makes my soul sick. 

One of the things that scares me the most is that you don't have to seek it out because pornography is seeking you. It can pop up on your computer without warning. It is on billboards, store fronts, TV and movies. Someone who has recovered from a smoking or alcohol addiction probably still struggles daily to make the choice to stay away from the substance, but unlike a person trying to recover from a pornography addiction, they don't have someone pouring beer down their throats for them. However, someone trying to recover from a pornography addiction is bombarded with it. It is everywhere, and only a matter of time before our children are exposed to it. 

I'm trying to think of the best ways to prepare my children from an early age. From conversations I've had with people struggling themselves or that know someone who is, my instincts tell me that smartphones are most often the device the material is accessed on. Who knows what technology will be available when my kids are old enough to have phones, but if it was right now I don't think I would allow them to have a smart phone, tablet, iPod, personal gaming system, or any other personal device that can access the internet. It's not because I think they will want to use them to get into trouble, but because Satan can use these devices as a tool to get to them. They will be exposed to it regardless, but by not allowing my kids to have these devices, I can help to protect them from temptation and uncomfortable situations. It doesn't mean they won't be in our home, or my children won't know how to use them, but I will not provide the ability to have unsupervised access to the internet. I know there are filters and apps with internet controls, but I don't completely trust them yet. 

Because I know that it is a matter of when, not if my children will be exposed to pornography, I will do everything I can to give them the tools and knowledge they need to know how to handle it. As parents, we can help our children practice what to do if something inappropriate appears on the screen. Rather than just close it out and forget about it, I heard a great phrase to teach kids: "crash, dash, and tell". I usually think things like that are corny, but they stick with kids. Turn off the screen, walk away, and tell an adult immediately. They need to know they are not in trouble for seeing something inappropriate, and that it's important to tell someone right away. It's sad that I'm not only planning to do fire drills, but pornography drills with my family in a few years. 

There are countless disturbing pornography statistics, and all of them make my stomach turn. I don't want to list them all, but here is a link for 2014 statistics that were actually quite shocking to me: http://www.internet-filter-review.toptenreviews.com/internet-pornography-statistics.html 

I wish there was a better solution to protecting little innocent eyes from something so disgusting rather than just preparing them for what to do when it does happen. It's a large part of today's world, but not something I'm willing to ignore or accept. I will do everything I can to talk to them, protect my home, and give them the tools they need to know how to handle those situations. I'm still trying to figure out exactly how to do that though.