Understanding Why Pornography Is “The New Drug”

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For over two decades I have presented information and ideas to assist parents with managing media in their homes. When I first began this effort in the 1990s, I noticed a distinct difference in the questions parents would ask at a public venue versus a religious one. A typical Q and A session in a public school would often focus on the movie rating system or media time management (“How can I get my daughter to quit watching TV and start her homework?”). At a church event these questions would also arise, but more often I would hear concerns about pornography in the home—particularly with the rise of the Internet in the late 1990s.

This separation of church and state has all but vanished. During a session I recently conducted at a school I could feel the parents wanted something different than the session on critical thinking about advertising and news. While those topics are certainly important, I concluded my presentation and started the Q and A early with this question: “How many of you in this room are concerned about your teens having access to inappropriate content on their portable devices?” (It’s a polite way of asking, “How many parents are super concerned about their kids viewing porn?”)

Hands went up across the room. In a group of nearly 30 parents, only two did not indicate this was an issue.

While I didn’t ask if these parents were from homes where faith and religion were primary motivators for concerns about pornography, I highly doubt over 90% of these parents at this school were regular church attenders.

The concerns about pornography have left the preacher’s pulpit and are now becoming a mental and societal health concern.

Clay Olsen is the Founder and CEO of a non-profit organization called Fight The New Drug. FTND works to help anyone, young and old, recognize their addiction to and overcome their battle with pornography. In our podcast interview, Clay reveals his personal motivation for leaving a lucrative marketing career and starting an organization that is fighting a very challenging battle. He also provides insight into FTND’s strategy and how parents should react to their own personal challenges within their home.