Please Note: This session is not eligible for CE credits due to its informal conversational format.

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Practitioners and parents alike have seen the dramatic increase of sexually explicit media (SEM) across various digital platforms, extending beyond traditional adult websites to social media and mainstream online spaces. This presents new challenges for parents, educators, and health professionals in guiding adolescents and children through their media consumption.

As media outlets evolve to keep viewers engaged, so too must our approaches to media literacy and education for young people. However, professionals and caregivers face many challenges when teaching youths how to be sophisticated consumers of media:

• The sensitive and controversial nature of pornography
• How easily accessible SEM is online
• Lack of comprehensive sex education curriculums
• Rapidly evolving digital landscape
• Combating misinformation and unrealistic/harmful sexual scenarios
• Potential legal concerns
• Addressing compulsive behaviors
• Promoting critical thinking

In summary, the prevalence of online pornography, discomfort discussing sex, lack of resources, and the harmful content itself make it very challenging for professionals and caregivers to effectively teach youths about these issues.

Join us for an upcoming Our Safe Haven session, featuring a discussion moderated by Seth Wescott and David Prescott. These sessions provide a forum for professional dialogue on the challenges associated with SEM and its dangerous impacts on youths.

Key topics for discussion include, but are not limited to:

• Public dialogue and debate about SEM in recent years
• Available resources for professionals and parents
• What we do and don’t know about SEC use among teens
• Approaches for professionals working in this field

These sessions offer attendees an opportunity for open discussion, support, and skill development. Your contributions will enrich the collective understanding and help shape best practices in this evolving field.

Your personal privacy is our highest priority. These sessions will be recorded for liability purposes only. The recordings will not be shared with attendees or distributed outside of Safer Society Foundation.

Like any group discussion, everyone will have a responsibility to keep it a safe, professional, and confidential space. We will adhere to the codes of ethics of our professions, mandatory laws, and other professional standards. The Safe Haven series is intended to be supportive; not formal supervision, consultation, or legal advice.