How to Talk to Kids About Porn with Chris McKenna
Parents Uncharted: From The Creator of Mom Uncharted
Chapters
(17)Research from Common Sense Media found that nearly three in four teenagers have been exposed to online pornography, with the average first exposure happening around age 12. For many children, however, exposure happens even earlier, sometimes accidentally and through places parents would never expect.
So how early should parents begin talking about pornography? What can we say without giving young children information they aren’t ready for? And what should we do if our child tells us they have already seen something?
In this episode of Parents Uncharted, Sarah speaks with Chris McKenna, founder of Protect Young Eyes and author of Five Habits of the Tech-Ready Family: Raising Self-Led Kids in a Screen-Driven World.
Chris explains why families need to move away from the idea of one intimidating “porn talk” and toward short, age-appropriate conversations that begin early and continue as children grow. He shares simple language parents can use with younger children, including “put it down and tell someone” and explains when it may be helpful to introduce the word pornography.
Sarah and Chris also discuss how children can encounter explicit content through social media, gaming platforms, group chats, school-issued devices, in-app browsers and other people’s phones. Chris explains why filters alone are not enough and walks parents through his layered approach to online protection, beginning with the parent-child relationship.
Most importantly, they discuss how a parent’s first reaction can determine whether a child feels safe coming back. Children who encounter pornography need calm, connection and reassurance, not shame or panic.
These conversations don’t need to be perfect, graphic or fear-based. They simply need to begin.
More About Chris:
Chris McKenna is the Founder of Protect Young Eyes and President of The Better Tech Project. Author of 5 Habits of the Tech-Ready Family, and leading voice on digital safety, he testified before the U.S. Senate in 2019, sparking more than 20 hearings on online child protection. Under his leadership, Protect Young Eyes earned the Dignity Defense Award and the Phase Alliance Child Safety Award. He co-authored the Child Device Protection Bill, now law in Utah and Alabama, requiring devices to activate content filters for minors.
Chris serves as a technical advisor and represents the Human Change Movement, speaking globally—including at the World Economic Forum—while collaborating with advocates, tech leaders, and legislators. Featured in the film Childhood 2.0, Protect Young Eyes equips families with practical safety tools.
Book: https://www.techreadyfamily.com/
Website: https://protectyoungeyes.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/protectyoungeyes/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-mckenna-75962211/
Connect with Sarah Adams:
Produced and distributed by Women in Media Network.
Chapters:
(00:00) Why parents need to talk about pornography
(02:23) Why the conversation needs to begin early
(05:42) Where children are encountering pornography
(07:46) The “10 Before 10” approach
(09:11) What to say to a four- or five-year-old
(11:48) When to introduce the word “pornography”
(14:23) Moving through parental shame and discomfort
(18:28) Why smaller conversations work better
(20:59) How to respond when a child discloses exposure
(24:16) What pornography can teach a developing brain
(27:59) Pornography in mainstream online culture
(31:14) Building a proactive family safety plan
(32:18) The Pyramid of Protection
(35:03) Six high-risk locations for digital harm
(36:47) Five habits of a tech-ready family
(39:10) Where overwhelmed parents should begin
(40:57) What every child needs to hear
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