Hi there, sexologist here and sexual educator! Porn was actually the first thing video taped whenever we had cameras that could handle moving pictures — as such, you will never, ever be able to “truly” ban porn. In fact, banning porn will only make it more dangerous and more likely to have human trafficking victims in it. It puts the actors at risk for inhumane treatment and quite frankly — real torture and dramatically would increase the risk of STDs/STIs on set as well.

Since pornography will forever be a thing (whether you watch it for free, buy sex worker content online through something like OnlyFans, or find something on the Dark Web), it is imperative for parents to have a sit down with their child. If you block pornography with a firewall, clever kids (pre-teens and teenagers) will just find clever ways around it (like through VPNs, Tor browsers, etc.).

Teach children that porn is fantasy. Most children learn “sexual education” from pornography because of the abysmal state that our sexual education lack of standards for the USA. Teach children about consent. Know that majority of people who watch porn don’t go for the “extreme” porn content. Watching porn in moderation is fine (moderation is key with everything, afterall).

Teach children about the conditions that some porn actors have to go through. Most porn shoots now run on a very tight budget and very strict shooting hours which often means the actors are put in uncomfortable and/or harmful scenarios. This is one big reason why most porn performers have moved onto being independent (technology has allowed them to produce it under much safer conditions and puts them in complete control).

If you aren’t comfortable teaching your kids about these things, then find good sexual education websites. Find good sexual education videos online. Ask around on Facebook and other social media platforms what are good, educational resources for your children because as I said many times, porn is never going away. Just teach your kids how to healthily watch it.