The following resources are provided for use by the South QLD Ministerial Team following a Boundaries and Refresher course conducted at Somerset Dam in Feb 2016.
Powerpoint Presentation on
Electronic media, the Internet and Pornography, & Self Care
The following resources on the effects of Pornography may also be helpful:
Senate Standing Committees on Environment and Communications
PO Box 6100
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Dear Sir/Madam
I wish to provide my support for the Inquiry into Internet Pornography and the need to protect our children.
Research continues to point to the significant negative effects of pornography on children. For example, Ybarra and Mitchell’s research (Youth Internet Safety Survey, a nationally representative, cross-sectional telephone survey of 1501 children and adolescents (ages 10–17 years), revealed that those who report intentional exposure to pornography, irrespective of source, are significantly more likely to cross-sectionally report delinquent behavior and substance use in the previous year. Further, online seekers versus offline seekers are more likely to report clinical features associated with depression and lower levels of emotional bonding with their caregiver. (http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/cpb.2005.8.473
Bridges found that as pornography has become increasingly accessible, it has played a more prominent role in romantic relationships and in shaping sexual norms: young men and women who report higher pornography use and from earlier ages engage in more risky sexual behaviours, and compulsive pornography use is hurting marriages and increasingly playing a role in divorce. (http://www.socialcostsofpornography.com/Bridges_Pornographys_Effect_on_Interpersonal_Relationships.pdf)
While Benedek and Brown, in their article ‘No Excuse: Televised Pornography Harms Children,’ acknowledge the difficulty in scientifically measuring pornography’s effect on children, conclude, “We believe that enough empirical and theoretical evidence exists to prompt alarm about the exposure of children to pornography and to support a vigorous effort to shield them from it.” (http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/hrp.7.4.236?journalCode=ihrp20)
I am of the firm belief that we have yet to see the full outcome of the influence of pornography on children and their journey into permanent relationships. Any efforts to minimize its influence must be applauded. I commend the work of Senator Joe Bullock (WA) and Liberal Senator Chris Back and others responsible for initiating this Inquiry.
Trafford Fischer
Trafford A Fischer DMin., JP (NSW)
Director, Adventist Institute of Family Relations
Seventh-day Adventist Church (Sth Pacific Division)
Ph: 61 2 9847 3277
Locked Bag 2014, Wahroonga NSW 2076