As a kid I looked at porn on the net. I had access to local bulletin boards with a 2400baud modem. I was busted and basically had a confrontation with my parents as opposed to them having a conversation with me about it.

I quickly learned how to hide my downloads and how to clear my cookies and cache. It is even easier now with private browsing now being included in web browsers.

I'm not a parent but I would think that a parent would want control over what their kid is able to view online. You can limit his access to the internet either by time or you can sensor by content.

Some routers have the ability to restrict internet use by time. Say, your kid can use the internet from 6:30 to 9:30 every day. Anything after 9:30 you would have to type in a password.

On the other hand, there are programs available like Net Nanny that filter the internet by content.

Maybe you could put him on chiefsplanet and we can do the talk for you? Save you some time anyway.

I've posted this before:

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FQt7VoJePRM&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FQt7VoJePRM&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

These days a kid can learn pretty much everything he needs to know about sex from prime time television.

I'm going to look into that Net Nanny - because honestly, I need something to block that effectively. What about for iPod touch - is there anything out there for those? My wife found mine downstairs, pulled up the internet and saw a bunch of sites. Thought I was looking at porn when it was my son.

ROFL This.

Brilliant idea.

This is one of the sites I'm trying to stop him from going to. :D

Kids are going to look at porn whether you block the shit on your computer or not.

Just sayin' There's really no way around it.

In all honesty, Mr. Plow, it's great to be active about this now. As much as I look at porn and know that the majority of men do as well, it is something that can be addictive and provide harmful ideas about how women are to be treated and an 11 year old is not quite ready for that sort of discussion about being demeaned, etc. That being said, I think it's really important that when you have the discussion that you teach him that masturbation, etc and all this is normal for his age and for sexuality. It's your job, however, to keep lines of communication open for the talks that will come later. While it's scary that he is only 11, that's the normal age for boys and girls to start wondering about their own ability to use their bodies.

I have no idea if you are a church going person or not, but in our denomination we have an actual "sex camp" for kids a year older than him, that teaches kids not the whole True Love Waits curriculum, but a more rational understanding of sex and what it means to be God's creation. The camp gives kids the tools they need to make sound decisions in regards to sexuality and also biologically teaches them about how their bodies work so that it normalizes those feelings that puberty brings on of attraction to others and fascination with masturbating, etc. You can PM me if you want some info on that, or if you want some of the tools the curriculum itself uses. I think what it teaches is life changing and empowering for young people.

Horrible idea. No teenager is gonna wanna listen to that crap.

What I'm saying is that the porn is secondary to the hormones at work, I think it's healthy at this point to teach him that what's happening is normal, give him some solid material to use, and let him know there are appropriate and inappropriate ways of satisfying what is for humans a basic need.

My dad had a talk with me when I was like 16 years old or so because he found my brother's porn stash and figured out I'd been looking at them. My parents were extremely religious, but even my dad had a "real" talk with me. He said something like, "Son, it's natural to want to look at porn. There's nothing really wrong with it. The main problem is that it gives you a skewed and inaccurate view of women. You know that your mom and I don't agree with pornography and don't want it in our house, so I threw away those magazines."

I think what he said about porn not being a "real" depiction of women is a good point.

yeah, it's the most successful camp we have and has changed the lives of thousands of teens, but whatever

ROFL Yeah, sure it has.

My wife started talking to our girls about anatomy/sex when they were 5 or 6 and eased into it. Once every couple of months, she'd take one of our two daughters and I'd take the other one on a "special day". Mom's special days always included a talk and then maybe some shopping or lunch. Dad's usually included a movie or a trip to the park or something like that. By the time the girls got to puberty, they were pretty used to open talks about the subject. Hopefully it will end well instead of turning them into coke-addicted strippers or something like that. Or worse, I hope they don't become shopaholics.