Conference Looks to Protect Kids from Online Porn

January 17, 2022

For Immediate Release:

“Every year,” says Dr. Jocelyn Monsma-Selby, Phd, “millions of children are exposed to violent pornography, well before they’ve even had their first kiss.”

People aren’t used to thinking about online pornography as a public health issue, but Monsma-Selby, a Calgary-based, licensed mental health and sex therapist is hoping an upcoming virtual summit Connecting to Protect, February 16-18, 2022, will raise awareness and chart an action plan to protect children here and abroad.

Research from a variety of discipline is increasingly showing that online pornography ­– especially violent or extreme pornography – is far from a benign influence. 

“Early exposure can cause trauma and developmental issues,” she points out. “It can also trigger compulsion, sexual dysfunction and arousal disorders.  It can shape new arousal pathways and lead people toward illegal acts including incest and pedophilia.”

Monsma-Selby has seen the fallout from childhood exposure to pornography in her practice, with often tragic results. The virtual Stronger Together summit will bring together neurologists, social workers, educators, psychologists, and other thought leaders and researchers from around the world. Along with education and research presentations, the summit will host collaborative sessions aimed at formulating a global, strategic response to protecting children and youth.

“Early exposure can cause trauma and developmental issues,” she points out. “It can also trigger compulsion, sexual dysfunction and arousal disorders.  It can shape new arousal pathways and lead people toward illegal acts including incest and pedophilia.” Dr. Monsma-Selby

Featured presenters include Dr. Donald Hilton, a neurosurgeon and adjunct associate professor of neurology at the University of  Texas Health Science Centre, Dr. Sharon Cooper, CEO of Developmental & Forensic Pediatrics, P.A., a consulting firm that provides medical care to children with developmental disabilities, as well as medical care, research and training, and Dr. Marc Potenza, a professor of psychiatry, child study and neuroscience at the Yale University School of Medicine, among many others.

Dr. Potenza – whose research was informed the World Health Organization’s inclusion of Compulsive Sexual Behaviour Disorder (CSBD) in the International Classification of Diseases, says there are alarming implications of the effects of online pornography on adolescents, whose brains are still developing. 

“We're playing catch up, because the Internet and the digital technology world has been changing very rapidly,” he says, pointing to a recent neurological study which revealed “differential brain activations” in in subjects with CSBD as they viewed online pornography.

“I think that if you are learning about sexual behaviors by what's available on the Internet, it can have many detrimental effects. It can generate arousal templates that are geared towards non-realistic and possibly harmful behaviors,” he adds.  “This is particularly concerning regarding development of youth, who have access to a wide range of pornography on the Internet, [without the] lived experience with other forms of sexual behaviors.”

Stronger Together, The Connecting to Protect, virtual global summit is open to everyone. Interested people can register at connectingtoprotect.org. 

Category A Continuing Education Credits are offered for all professionals by the University of Calgary Faculty of Social Work.

Media Availability

Dr. Jocelyn Monsma-Selby, PhD is available for Zoom interviews. Please contact Don McSwiney to book. Information below. Other experts can also be made available with notice.

Media Contact

Donald McSwiney
Communications Manager, Faculty of Social Work
403.408.9701
don.mcswiney@ucalgary.ca

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