The Impact of Pornography on Children According to UM Surabaya Lecturers Causes Brain Damage to Mental Disorders

• 06 Jan
• 2022

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The Impact of Pornography on Children According to UM Surabaya Lecturers Causes Brain Damage to Mental Disorders

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• By Uswah Sahal
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In this digital era, most of the activities of children and adolescents cannot be separated from gadgets and the internet. Apart from having special sites that provide a lot of vulgar content, various kinds of advertisements appear on the internet that children can access accidentally, this of course makes parents have to be more vigilant and exercise extra supervision so that children can access content that is safe and according to their age.

Uswatun Hasanah, a lecturer at the UM Surabaya Faculty of Health Sciences (FIK), who is also a psychiatric nursing specialist, explained that several studies have shown various adverse effects of pornography, ranging from addiction, brain damage, to mental disorders.

“The first impact is addiction. Addiction to pornography can start from accidental factors which then raise curiosity, thus encouraging children to try it on purpose," explained Uswatun Monday (6/6/22)

At this trial and error stage, the child feels a pleasant sensation so he wants to repeat the same behavior (keep watching pornographic content) repeatedly which eventually causes addiction. The only goal is to get that pleasant sensation.

This addiction will have an impact on serious brain damage. Pornography is a form of addiction that cannot be observed directly with the sensory system but can cause permanent brain damage beyond drug addiction.

Next is brain damage. Brain damage caused by pornography is closely related to addiction. Addiction creates chemical changes in the brain, anatomical and pathological changes that result in various manifestations of brain dysfunction which are collectively known as hypofrontal syndromes.

“The part of the brain that is attacked when a child is addicted to pornography is the Pre Frontal Cortex (PFC). PFC functions as a center for emotional control, concentration, differentiating between good and bad, self-control, critical thinking, forming personality and social behavior," he added.

Uswatun explained that this part of the brain also functions in the thought process in planning one's future, so when a child loses this PFC function, the child is said to lose the brain's "brake system", which in a simple sense, the child is unable to control his thoughts and behavior.

Another impact is also a change in behavior. Damage to the PFC certainly affects children's behavior. Behaviors that are commonly shown by children who are addicted to pornography include preferring to be alone in their room, nervous and avoiding eye contact when invited to communicate, lazy to do activities, don't want to get along with other people, don't want to get off their devices and get angry and even go berserk if their activities involve the device is disturbed or restricted.

Finally, there are mental disorders. In addition to changes in behavior, mental problems that will be experienced include impaired self-concept, depression, moderate to severe anxiety, sexual deviation and violent behavior.

Uswatun explained that several efforts can be made by parents and the surrounding environment, namely by carrying out extra supervision, equipping children with love as well as religious knowledge and sex education according to developmental stages, placing computers in the living room, installing security applications on gadgets and training children to access the internet safely and healthily.

"If children and adolescents are already addicted to pornography, parents can provide assistance and supervision for gradual termination accompanied by a professional and if addiction has caused serious brain damage, various forms of therapy can be carried out by a professional team," he concluded. .