March 3, 2016

A Powerful Message at the Oscars
 

Powerful Message at the Oscars
 
This year's Oscars sheds light in both film and music on the devastation of sexual violence against women and children, and the critical importance of exposing the problem and prevention efforts. The wonderful film, Spotlight , one of my personal favorites this year, won the Oscar for best picture. I urge you to see this film. Spotlight depicts the uncovering of the allegations of abuse in the Catholic Church and the year-long cover up within Boston's religious, legal, and government establishment. The grooming of children by Catholic Priests follows the same patterns of sexual predators who groom children online. See our video here .
 
Also, Lady Gaga performed a wonderful song at the Oscars, "Til it happens to you," which exposes the pain of sexual violence happening across America, in particular ... the rape of college girls on campus. At the end of Lady Gaga's performance, dozens of young people appeared on stage with powerful messages tattooed on their arms, like "Survivor," "It happened to me," and "You are Loved." 
 
Teen Girls and Social Media:  The Secret Lives
The pursuit of "hotness" has become huge in the lives of American girls. Studies, including a report by the American Psychological Association in 2007, concludes this has "wide-ranging ramifications for girls' health and well-being, including studies that link this pressure to sexualize on all kinds of things like rising anxiety, depression, cutting, eating disorders."
 
You can read an interview with Nancy Jo Sales, author of American Girls:  Social Media and the Secret Lives of Teenagers, which highlights the results of her survey with teen girls and discusses boys asking girls for nude pictures, slut pages and how porn is impacting sex.   Please watch my video interview with teens discussing how porn impacted their lives and relationships.

 

Beware! The Hot or Not App is Back Again...

 
Beware! Last time I wrote to you about some of the dangers regarding the Kik App. I now want to alert you to the many dating apps attracting teens, some of which are downright creepy. " In its heyday, Hot or Not, perhaps one of the cruelest and most entertaining websites on the Web, was the go-to site for finding out on a 1 to 10 scale whether you were a beauty or a beast in the eyes of your peers. The site inspired social media sites ranging from Facebook to Tinder, and now it's back to cash in on the Internet dating scene. Like many of the other apps, it uses location to link you to people near you. The app's defining feature, "Hot Lists," reportedly gauges a person's hotness through crowdsourced votes, just like the old website used to do. The app is supposed to update in real time, so you can find the best looking people in your vicinity...." excerpted from article.  Read more here . 
 
Become Educated, Equipped and Empowered
 
Parents and Grandparents, please remember to have an ongoing dialogue with your kids about how they are using technology. First and foremost, establish an atmosphere of trust. Know who they are communicating with online and talk about who is safe and who is not. Review their posts and pictures with them. Make sure you are friends with them on their social media sites and that their profiles/sites are set to private. Teach them there are NO take backs and to think before they post.
 
Enough Is Enough® is here to educate and equip you to be diligent vigilant cyberparents. Here is an entire how-to guide from our Internet Safety 101® curriculum for you to follow.

Join Us at Set Free Summit - April 4-7, 2016!
 
Attention all faith leaders, counselors and caring parents. Please join us for the Set Free Summit on April 4-7, 2016 in Greensboro, N.C., where you will hear from the leading experts to equip church leaders with the facts and emotional realities of porn's impact on families, the church, and culture at large.   
 
We Can't Do This Alone... 
Our work at Enough Is Enough® is only possible through your financial support as we are 100% donor funded. And your donation of any amount is 100% tax deductible. Click here to learn about how you can support our mission to make the Internet safer for children and families.