Media experts say easy access to computers has resulted in a shocking rise in the number of children who become addicted to porn.

According to a Parents Television Council (PTC) blog, the push in schools and elsewhere to get children proficient in the use of computers at earlier ages has resulted in school-aged youngsters spending more time online where they are being exposed to hard core pornography.

Their studies have found that:

o 79% of youth unwanted exposure to pornography occurs in the home.

o 80% of 15-17-year-olds reported having multiple exposures to hard-core pornography

o 90% of 8-16-year-olds report having viewed porn online, most while doing homework

o There has been an increase in sexual material being presented to children despite the use of Internet filtering, blocking and other monitoring software being used by their parents at home.

“All children are curious about the body and, as they get older, about sex. But exposure to pornography at a young age can set children on a destructive path that can end in addiction,” the PTC writes.

In a recent show appearing on Fox News 59, sex therapist Carol Sheets said the kind of images these children are seeing are not something that they’ll just grow out of.

“…(S)eeing those images at a young age can have devastating effects later in life. It’s so intriguing that it fixates their brain,” said Sheets.  “It is something called ‘brain lock’ and it brain locks them and it drives them to this compulsion to want to look at more of it.”

One child on the show, a nine year-old boy named “Bill” said he was first introduced to pornography when his brother and sister played a porn film in front of him. He is now a recovery sex addict.

Addiction is not the only problem that results from early exposure to porn. More and more cases of children acting out what they see in these pictures and films is occurring across the country.

For instance, in February of this year, seven 5th graders were suspended for playing “The Game” – which involved boys and girls touching each other inappropriately.

In another case a mother sued an elementary school after learning that her son and other 10 year-olds had repeated access to pornographic materials. According to the complaint, the boys then began to act out what they saw on each other.

The sad part about this frightening trend is that it is preventable.

“If you’re a parent, there are steps you can take to limit the likelihood your child will be exposed to pornography online,” the PTC writes.

“Make your child use a shared or family computer, and keep it in a family room or other central location where you can keep an eye on your child while he or she is online. Make use of internet filters, blocking and tracking software. ‘Friend’ your child on social media sites. And keep lines of communication open so that if your child sees something inappropriate, they feel safe talking to you about it.”

Click here for more Internet safety tips.

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