If you’re having trouble sleeping, you’re not the only one. Parents hoping to get a little rest can find it hard to do with all the fears that come with raising children in a modern world. Sex trafficking. Drugs. Alcohol. Bullying. There are so many predatory things waiting for children at school, online, and in social settings. You want to protect kids from everything but it can feel impossible to just keep up with all the activities that could be considered harmful. Parenting now seems more complicated than it’s ever been.
It’s natural for dads to try to shield their children from physical harm. That includes fighting, sexual abuse, and drugs. More than half of teens have tried alcohol. Before graduation, 35% of kids will try marijuana. It only gets worse from there. Over two million people over age 12 used ecstasy in 2021. The pressure to use drugs is real for kids. Also, human trafficking rages on across the globe.
Protecting kids’ innocence matters, too. Cyberbullying presents a new challenge to kids that their parents didn’t deal with. Nearly 7 in 10 kids report being bullied online and studies revealed 40 percent of kids agree sending nude photos online is “normal.” They’re being asked to show off their bodies and they’re complying. At the same time, kids are viewing porn at very early ages because they have immediate access through smart devices.
Social media is its own toxic monster. It makes it easy to coax kids’ eyes toward inappropriate content. Platforms like TikTok promote overtly sexual content to minors and users encourage each other to participate in harmful “viral” challenges. Child pornography generates over $3 billion annually in the United States alone. It’s estimated 1 in 5 pornographic images on the internet is of a child.
Can you protect your kids from these dangers? Are you prepared to talk about these things with your children? Do you know the social and cultural hills they try to climb? If your answer is no, pay attention. Check out this video series on Child Safety from All Pro Dad and get involved today. There is nothing more important than keeping your kids safe.
