Trigger warning: This episode contains graphic depictions of child sex abuse. Listener discretion is advised.

Full disclosure: the topics discussed in this episode are heavy, but absolutely essential to consider when it comes to protecting children in our community. In this episode of Consider Before Consuming, we sat down with Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Heidi Olson. Heidi works specifically with children at a children’s hospital in Kansas City near the border of Kansas and Missouri. Fully expecting to be dealing with cases where adults were the perpetrators, Heidi was shocked to see that, in 2017, almost half of the perpetrators who walked through her hospital’s doors were minors. After learning more about what pornography is like today and how easy it is for a child to access it on their devices, Heidi describes to podcast host, Garrett Jonsson, “all of the dots started to connect in my mind…a lot of these young perpetrators are being exposed to mainstream pornography and they are acting out what they are seeing.” Listen as Heidi explains the risk of kids becoming victims and perpetrators of sexual assault due to exposure of pornography, and learn what we can do as members of society to combat this rampant issue.

Caregivers: if you’re looking for a way to keep your family safer online, check out our friends at Bark. In partnership with parents and schools, Bark has helped to protect over 5 million children by proactively monitoring text messages, YouTube, emails, and 24 different social networks for potential safety concerns including cyber-bullying, suicide ideation, depression, sexting, and online predators. Listeners can try Bark for free for 30 days by going to ftnd.org/bark.

Click here to access the resources discussed in this episode.

To learn more about the harms of pornography on consumers, relationships, and its larger societal impacts, visit FTND.org.

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Thank you for listening, we invite you to consider before consuming.

Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.