The Sexual Issues Teenagers Face Today - Residential Treatment Center

The Sexual Issues That Teenagers Face Today

June 3, 2019

At Kaizen Academy, our residential treatment center is home to countless troubled teenage boys who have struggled with sexual behavior problems. While these issues are as old as the human race itself, they tend to change according to the times. Today’s teenagers, growing up in the digital age, face problems that are unprecedented in previous generations. They are constantly bombarded by information and media which can influence their developing brains, and it’s more important now than ever to provide a safe haven where they can grow and recover in an empathetic space.

One challenge that many parents have is their inability to relate to their children’s sexual issues, due to the changing of the times. It is important to be aware of the unique challenges that today’s teens face. Let’s take a look at some of them.

The Ubiquity Of Pornography And Sexual Content

This is the biggest one, and it ties into just about every point on this list. It suffices to say that pornography is more accessible than it’s ever been, and by a tremendous longshot. Just a couple of decades ago, one had to go out of their way to acquire pornography. It was something that was sold in adult stores on VHS tapes and magazines — it was inaccessible to teens in the same way that cigarettes and alcohol were. Yes, many of them found a way, but they couldn’t just have it at the tip of their fingers.

Nowadays, we are bombarded by pornography. It penetrates every corner of the internet, and any teen who spends a lot of time online is highly likely to find their way to it at some point. Even if we’re not talking about porn, sexual content, in general, is far more common than it used to be in our movies and media. If you think all this exposure isn’t having an effect on your teenager’s mind, think again — even on a subconscious level, it has its effects.

Exposure To Sexual Content At Young Ages

Echoing the point above, the accessibility of sexual content means that kids are stumbling into it far earlier than ever before. Despite the fact that sexuality is programmed into humans, nature never intended it to happen so early. It is well-documented that sexual abuse changes the brain chemistry of young children, and much more research is being done in current times to study the effects of sexual content (such as pornography) on young minds.

In short, it doesn’t look good — our exposure to explicit content can inform the way that the brain develops. Sexual addiction is far more likely when one gets hooked in teenage or childhood years, and it can also lead to an unhealthy or unrealistic view of sex — and potentially contribute to the development of fetishes.

The Extreme Nature Of Sexual Content

The above two factors are already a worrisome combination, but it gets worse knowing the type of content that’s propagated online. In the last decade, there has been an uptick in pornographic content that could be considered extreme — whether it’s depicting aggressive (or even violent) material, or depicting sex in a way that’s unrealistic and dangerous. For obvious reasons, these are things that could distort a teenager’s view of healthy sex.

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Learn The Benefits Of Residential Treatment

Countless boys today struggle with sexual behavioral problems, ranging from unhealthy pornography addictions to actual, real-life sexual experiences. The best way to heal from these problems is to be in a community of people who struggle with the same things. Sexual problems are inherently taboo, and the key to overcoming them is to get them out in the open. That’s what we do at Kaizen Academy — our residential treatment center provides a home and a family for troubled teenage boys. Through community, recreation, and self-esteem building activities, we have helped countless teens to recovery. Want to learn more about Kaizen Academy? Contact us today.

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