By Kath Gannaway
A forum in Healesville on Monday, 26 March will tackle the inescapable reality of pornography, yung people and sexuality.
Just when you thought you have the whole birds and bees conversation down to a fine are, something a whole lot more complicated, and dangerous, has raised issues that parents, grandparents, teachers and others dealing with children and teenagers never thought they would need to talk about.
“It’s time we talked …” is an event organised by Chum Creek Primary School, Healesville High School and Eastern Health with nationally renowned author, film maker and expert on the subject, Maree Crabbe, leading the conversation.
Ms Crabbe is co-ordinator of the community education project ‘Reality & Risk: Pornography, Young People and Sexuality”, and documentary films broadcast on SBS, as well as author of ‘In The Picture’ a school resource.
“Readily available and aggressively marketed online, exposure to hardcore pornography is now mainstream, Ms Crabbe said.
“Porn has become a default sex educator for many young people, with serious implications for their capacity to negotiate free and full consent, for mutual respect, sexual health and gender equality.”
It’s something that Chum Creek teacher, Samantha Holman, Healesville High’s Director of Wellbeing, Lyn Scotchmoor, and Eastern Health’s Health Promotion Officer, Aladdin Jones, say they are seeing reflected in their classrooms and in other areas where children and youth are involved.
They talk about how easily young people misconstrue what they see as being “what women and girls want”, about men normalising pornographic material and objectivying women, about primary school children playing videos such as ‘grandtheft Auto’ and the link between violence against women and porn consumption … and just how easy it is for young children to access this material through devices which are part of life.
Mr Jones said boys in many cases start watching porn at 11 or 12 years old.
Ms Holman said “These kids will be at school playing chasey, cubbies and lego and they they’re watching this stuff and they’re not mature enough to manage this.”
Addressing pornography needs to be part of 20th century parenting, according to Ms Crabbe.
“There are so many parents who are not aware of the pervasive nature of online pornography, but also of the kind of material young people are exposed to,” she said.
“The idea is to support parents to understand the issue at a deeper level other than just that pornography is there, and to equip them to support their kids to grow up where they can develop safe and consexual relationships and sexuality.”
She concedes it’s a sensitive and delicate topic, but the bottom line is “It’s time we talked …” and that doesn’t mean parents and kids – it means parents and others who need a reality check.
It’s time we talked …” is at The Memo Healesville on Monday, 26 march at 7pm and is an 18years-plus event. Cost is $12.50 and bookings are through culturetracks.info or call in at The Memo.
For more information contact Healesville High School, Chum Creek Primary School or Eastern Health.
