Not So Smart Phone Use

Our friends at Covenant Eyes have created another helpful (and ginormous) infographic, this one detailing smartphone use and the prevalence of porn in the mobile age (click the image to enlarge).  Here are a few of the disturbing stats:

Nearly 25% of mobile searches are for porn
1 in 5 iPhone users admit to watching “adult content” on their phone frequently
29% of smartphone users have porn on their handset, 84% of whom said their partner did not know about it
By 2025, the “global adult mobile market” will hit $4 billion

These facts and trends speak to the normalization of pornography (read: commercial sex) in the twenty-first century, and the attendant need to pursue purity in our lives and prepare our kids to navigate this exploitative environment.  The first step is leading by example in our media consumption and tech usage.  We also need to create ongoing dialogue with our kids about sex, God’s purposes for it, and cultural distortion of it.

Just as important is parents’ awareness of the capabilities of their kids’ devices, and how to put controls and accountability tools in place.  Check out Covenant Eyes’ mobile solutions; also, get familiar with the parental controls on the phones themselves and the tools available to you through your wireless provider’s plan.  Better tools are available all the time to protect your kids and stay on top of their usage and activity.