While previous generations had to wait until a certain age to legally purchase or rent pornographic magazines and videos – usually from a grimy store in a defunct area of town – the internet has allowed today’s adolescents and adults immediate, free, and convenient access to porn. This eliminates the need for mentally processing whether gaining access to the porn is worth the effort, because it takes little to no effort at all. Additionally, there are similarities between porn addictions and gambling addictions in that both arenas provide the consumer with both unlimited material and anonymity, aiding their participation in the experience of anticipatory fantasy, always driven to keep going for the euphoria of seeing what comes next.
For these compelling reasons, the consumption of pornography which could lead to an addiction is becoming a more prominent issue in our world, and with the coming universality of virtual reality in American households, experts are only expecting the issue to become larger. With the tolerance of overt sexuality in our culture, adolescents are prone to jump straight from flirting to sexual acts – either online or in person – and they are not learning the necessary social experiences of true intimacy learned through making friends and being in a relationship that lasts more than a night.
Understandably, today’s parents are worried about the culture where they are raising their children, but Rob encourages parents to focus on loving, caring for, and supporting their children above any concerns that they may have. Just as previous generations of children have adapted to the inventions of new technologies, this Digital Natives generation will do the same, and it will not ruin their lives. They can find more ways to use new technologies like virtual reality for good as they can for evil, and parents can help their children know the difference by being aware and well-informed.
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Robert Weiss LCSW, CSAT-S is a digital-age intimacy and relationships expert specializing in infidelity and addictions—most notably sex, porn, and love addiction.
- Author; Sex Addiction 101, Out of The Doghouse: A Step-by-Step Relationship-Saving Guide for Men Caught Cheating and Cruise Control: Understanding Sex Addiction in Gay Men
- Subject expert for multiple media outlets including CNN, HLN, MSNBC, and NPR
- Blogger for Psychology Today, Huffington Post, and Psych Central
- Skilled international clinical educator
- Creator of more than a dozen high-quality addiction and mental health treatment facilities and programs including residential, workshop, IOP and outpatient.
Rob is CEO of Seeking Integrity LLC, an online and real-world resource for recovery from infidelity and sex, and porn addiction. For more information or to reach Mr. Weiss, please visit www.seekingintegrity.org or www.sexandrelationshiphealing.com, or follow him on Twitter and facebook, @RobWeissMSW.