North Carolina law enforcement, educators, and the non-profit group The Third Talk have combined efforts to inform adolescents and teens about the dangers of exposure to sexual predators and pornography when using the internet.
According to the Charlotte Observer, the groups have produced an educational video that will be shown to middle school and high school students in North Carolina and features speakers from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI), the Department of Public Instruction, and the Third Talk.
The Third Talk is a non-profit group with the aim of initiating conversations “between parents and their young people on avoiding exposure to sexually explicit media online,” the group’s website states. “We provide practical real-world language to start that talk and the “how and why” to keep the conversation going,”
In the video, the Director of Youth Outreach at The Third Talk, Hannah Adcock, discusses the dangers pornography can cause to adolescents and teens. “When young people watch this content, it can negatively affect their physical brain by releasing combinations of chemicals, especially in the brains of developing youth,” she stated.
“Watching this content can cause depression, aggression, loneliness, and despair,” Adcock continued. “It can lead to unrealistic relationship expectations, intimate partner violence, and even assault.”
“By watching adult content, young people can normalize the actions they see in these movies which can lead to child exploitation by adults and others,” Adcock would later add.
The educational film comes at a crucial time as cybercrime tips have skyrocketed since the beginning of the pandemic, as students and adults have spent more time on the internet. According to the video, the North Carolina Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force receives upwards of 1000 tips each month from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. In 2020, the task force received 776 tips per month, and in 2019 the task force received an average of 411 tips each month.
“With this new ‘normal,’ we saw more adults and more students engaging in virtual work and virtual learning, which unfortunately led to more opportunities for those who would like to victimize some of the most vulnerable in our society,” explained Special Agent in charge of the NCBSI, Kevin Roughton, according to the Charlotte Observer.
The founder of The Third talk John Van Arnam announced that he is amid discussions to create more educational videos with the SDI and the Department of Instruction.
The Executive Director of North Carolina Center for Safer Schools, Karen Fairley, expressed her worries regarding the threats to students.
“The threat to students is real and relevant given the increase in the amount of time students spend online, as well as the pervasiveness and easy accessibility of explicit online content,” explained Fairley, according to the Charlotte Observer. “Increasing awareness of the dangers that exist can help parents and other trusted adults provide the necessary guidance students need to make wise choices.”