Book Review
A short overview of this book
Good Pictures Bad Pictures: Porn-proofing today’s young kids by Kristen A. Jenson, is a book for older kids (9-12) that addresses pornography: what it is, why it’s dangerous and what kids should do if they happen to find it.
Good Pictures Bad Pictures: Porn-proofing today’s young kids by Kristen A. Jenson, is a resource that parents can use to start a conversation with their children about pornography. Porn is one of those tough topics, that most (if not all) parents find difficult to talk about. So having a book like Good Pictures Bad Pictures, can help with starting that first conversation. Books just make it a whole lot easier as you have the words to say, right there in front of you! Which means that you don’t have to remember what to say!
Books like Good Pictures Bad Pictures make talking to kids about porn, much easier. With today’s children spending more and more time online, the risk of them finding sexually explicit material online is much greater than ever before. So, along with chats about other risks like road safety, drugs and alcohol, parents also need to be talking about porn with their kids. The difficulty though is in how to start the conversation!
This book was updated in late 2018. Here’s the author’s overview of what changes have happened.
Good Pictures Bad Pictures is based on the story of a mother talking to her child, over a series of different conversations about what pornography is, why it’s dangerous, and what to do when you see it. Using easy-to-understand science and simple analogies, the book is designed to teach children to porn-proof their own brains.
At the start, the author provides information for parents on why pornography is a problem, as well as providing tips on how to read this book. The book is based on research that says that when children view porn, that it will affect their brain development. We are still in the early days of fully understanding the impact of pornography on children. Children do not have the maturity or life skills to be able to process sexually explicit images but we still don’t know how exactly porn harms children. So while the research is still quite inconclusive, we need to take the approach of protecting children from pornography until they have the maturity to be able to fully understand the meaning of sex.
Good Pictures Bad Pictures is based on the 5-point CAN DO Plan, which teaches kids how to avoid the brain-warping images of pornography and minimise the troubling memories of accidental exposure that often tempt kids to look for more and possibly lead them into a porn addiction that they are too young to handle. To stay safe in the digital age, kids must install an internal filter in their own brain. Good Pictures Bad Pictures shows them how.
You can also find parents resources on how to talk to your child about porn, at the author’s website – Protect Young Minds. You will find a resource on how to start talking, and another resource on what to do if your child has already been viewing pornography.
The author, Kristen A. Jenson, does have a new version of this book for younger children, Good Pictures Bad Pictures JR.
Good Pictures Bad Pictures: Porn-proofing today’s young kids by Kristen A. Jenson, is one of the few books that has been written for children on the dangers of viewing pornography. It is a long book that provides a very comprehensive overview of what porn is, why it’s dangerous and what kids should do if they happen to find it.
Ideal Age
Ideal for children aged 9 to 12 years.
Buy this book
✅ Buy a copy of Good Pictures Bad Pictures: Porn-proofing today’s young kids by Kristen A. Jenson from Amazon.
Video Transcription
A transcription in case you are more of a reader than a listener
Hey there! So, I wanted to talk to you about this awesome book called Good Pictures, Bad Pictures: Porn-Proofing Today’s Young Kids by Kristen Jensen. It’s been out for a few years and it’s actually the first book that came out on how to talk to children about pornography. Pretty cool, right?
This book covers a lot of ground. It explains what pornography is and why it’s not good for children. It even dives into the science and evidence behind it. There are lots of pictures and questions to help kids understand and remember the important stuff. One thing it mentions is that memories of porn can make kids really want to see more pictures, which is not what we want for them.
Now, I have to be honest, this book is a bit of a heavy read. I wouldn’t recommend it for really young kids, like six or seven-year-olds. It’s more suitable for older children, around 9 to 12 years old. But hey, it’s a great tool to start the conversation about pornography with your kids. I know it can be a tricky subject to talk about, but this book can help you navigate it without overwhelming your child or making them too curious.
Oh, and here’s some good news! There are actually other books available on this topic now, and I’ve heard that the author is even working on a version for younger children. How cool is that?
I hope this info helps you out. Take care and bye for now!
