A Canadian documentary film examining the effects of internet based pornography on kids, teens, parents and the people making porn, will be shown Sunday night (March 5) in Airdrie.   

The film "Over 18" will be shown at 6:30 pm at Grace Baptist Church in Airdrie. Worship Arts and Community Pastor for Grace Baptist Chris Neufeld says porn has evolved in recent years.

"What pornography was 20 years ago was the fact that a person had to show up at a convenience store, look a person in the eye and say, 'Can I buy that magazine?' Now we're at a place where porn is so accessible no one has to give any light to that to anyone, it's all hidden. It's a real problem because it's so secretive, so under the table."  

The goal of the documentary is to educate youth on the realities of pornography, help parents understand the growing epidemic of porn usage, and propose solutions for preventing exposure and addiction in the first place.

Neufeld shared some startling statistics from the film's makers. "Nine in ten boys and six in ten girls are exposed to pornography by the age of 18. Of youth who have seen pornography online, 94 per cent have seen it by the age of 14. 40 per cent of teens have created a sexual image or video of themselves and a quarter have sent this to someone else."  

Part of the initiative of showing the documentary at Grace Baptist is to allow people to get help if they need it. "I'm hoping to have two psychologists there to help us understand more about the effects on the mind and relationships as well as help parents to have those conversations with their kids."  

A petition will also be available to sign after the film's showing, with the intent of having the government put more regulations on pornography.  

Neufeld says, "You can't get on gambling sites without putting your credit information into it. They have to know that you're able to actually gamble. We're pushing that they do a similar thing with pornography."

Neufeld hopes the documentary will open up a dialogue between parents and their kids on the issue of internet pornography. "We still need to know how to have those conversations. We can't totally protect our children, but we need to know how to make our children feel they can talk to us."  

 

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