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With the new year comes a big change to Louisiana law that brings a huge problem to light that many parents oftentimes don’t think about. With the internet at anyone’s fingertips, access to online pornography is quick and easy for adults and minors alike. For parents, the idea that their children can be so easily exposed to this kind of material is very unnerving. With this new piece of legislation though, it introduces an age verification process for these types of sites in an effort to make it harder for minors by targeting companies that don’t implement an age verification process leaving them open to possible lawsuits. 

Before parents begin celebrating, they should first take a look at their own parenting. Legislation won’t solve their problem as minors will always find ways around this as well as right now, not all pornagraphic sites are doing this. There is some controversy revolving around privacy and security. For parents, this should serve as a conversation starter for your children if you don’t want them accessing this material. Children are inherently curious, so if you do not answer their questions they will find the answers themselves and expose themselves to harmful images and videos. 

So when it comes to this aspect of parenting, parents must take the initiative in preventive and educational measures. If your child is around that age where they generally become more curious about this stuff, don’t silence their curiosity. Not only does that discourage them from asking questions, it also makes them less likely to come to you again for other situations. Instead, they go to the internet or their friends for answers and those answers sometimes lead your children down a negative path. If you don’t want them getting answers that you aren’t happy with, encourage them to come to you with their questions. When they ask why, don’t simply use your parent card. If you truly believe that it is a problem, explain to them why. 

Once they understand the why, continue the dialogue by further expanding on certain points as they grow under and begin asking bigger and more complex questions. If you are going to stand by something and you want your children to stand by that also, you must be not only able but willing to answer those questions. After that, you can then set up some protective measures in order to even further protect your child. Yes, Act 440 is in place, and you should have talked to your children, but setting up some restrictions on your family wifi won’t hurt. Contact your internet provider to see what you can set up. These restrictions are in place to help keep the whole family from being exposed to potentially harmful material.