I was once the perfect mother. TV time was strictly controlled, no sugary sweets would pass my little darlings lips, and there was absolutely no way they would be allowed to use iPads, iPhones, Xboxes, computers or any other internet connecting medium until they were mature enough to use them. Possibly not even then. Of course that was before I actually had any kids.
The internet changed the game considerably, with vast amounts of adult films and images becoming easily and instantly accessible. Whether or not this is a good or bad thing is constantly debated, but one thing is very clear - it's not going away. So that really leaves one question - what's going to happen next?
We're concerned at the NSPCC that easy access to hardcore pornography is warping young people's views of what is 'normal' or acceptable sexual behaviour. Adults have a choice about what to watch within the law, but my concern is that the internet is exposing ever younger eyes to things they are just not yet ready to process. They are learning about sex from porn and not from proper respectful relationships. Much of the material is violent and simply vile; it paints a picture of sex as one sided that has no basis in love or respect.
Communication's completed a huge curve of development and returned to a medium that drives brevity and encourages short cuts, leaving little room for chatty content. That said, it's become an art from that's produced some classic tweets that come close to Hemingway's famous, poignant six-word story: "Baby shoes for sale, never worn."
The issue is the easy availability of hard-core porn on the internet. Obviously, for adults, viewing hard-core porn is their choice. But the average age of kids viewing hardcore porn has dropped from 11 to eight. Primary school children can view on their mobile phones material that would not even have been available in a top-shelf magazine a generation ago.