Dear Parents - The Time to Talk is Now

Dear Parents, I recently read about a person that was fired from volunteering at a school she had been working with for many years because her online profile on an adult site had been “reported to administration.” While there are many issues of freedom, ethics, and legality to discuss around this story, I’m not feeding those conversations.
The critical aspect of this story to me is that it provides an example of why children's parents/caregivers (*not* schools) need to educate kids in an age-appropriate way about porn and "adult" content long before the traditional birds and bees talk.
Porn is likely going to find kids while they are much too young to understand it. Case in point, with this story splayed all over the media, children who have never heard of this particular website are certainly going to be exposed to the name and will likely be curious, as children are. Without a good foundation for communication with safe adults to ask about cringey topics, they will turn to the internet and/or peers for answers.
The internet is more than happy to provide the wrong answers that can quickly send kids into very dangerous territory. Literally one wrong click is all it takes. We love our kids. We’re willing to take a bullet for them. We need to be willing to approach them with uncomfortable topics. Don’t wait.
Start the conversation today.
Conversations must be done without shame. It's counterproductive to shame the performers - we have no idea what circumstances led them to be there. Shaming the kids for what they may have seen, heard, or done begets a cycle of isolation that will destroy lines of communication that are vital to a child's healthy development.
If you don’t have any clue how to undertake this daunting task, you’re not alone. The Conversation Blueprint tool at the amazing non-religious, non-legislative FightTheNewDrug is a great resource. Another resource that is specifically tailored toward parents is Defend Young Minds. There you can find additional guides and advice for almost any situation in which you have found yourself and your child.