Empowering Youth to Speak Up: Wired Human’s Fight Against Online Exploitation and Pornified Media
The ever-present tools of technology — smartphones, computers, tablets, and more — are accessible ways for youth to stay in touch with their peers and families. However, they also threaten their safety and well-being, whether they’re relaxing at home, on the go with friends, or sitting in class.
Seeing the online risks children face during his work at schools alarmed Jason Frost enough to prompt him to co-found Wired Human with his wife, Lisa. The nonprofit aims to help children and families navigate the digital world and to support youth as advocates for online safety. “We witnessed firsthand the trauma kids were experiencing online,” he says. “Children being lured into dangerous situations, kids as young as seven acting out inappropriate sexual behaviors at school, or a girl’s nudes being spread around the entire school community was just a thumbnail of the actual scale of the problem. Most of what was happening was behind a screen tucked away in their back pockets.”
Frost says that because screens are nearly everywhere, children and teens turn to them during moments of boredom, anxiety, or stress — and pornography is often their online tool of choice. What they may experience as a pleasurable pastime effectively cuts them off from their inner core, making them more vulnerable and easy to manipulate.
Frost will share how Wired Human is working with youth and adults to address those concerns through education and advocacy during the opening keynote session at Culture Reframed’s December 5 virtual conference, Breaking Down Silos: Addressing the Harms of Pornified Media on Youth. Frost will present a process to reclaim youth from pornography and reconnect them to their internal processing — which he says informs them of a deeper sense of self and leads to understanding their “why” or purpose.
He sees the Culture Reframed event as an important opportunity to increase awareness of online risks, share protective strategies, and build support for policies that can help shape a safer digital environment. “Culture Reframed, led by Gail Dines, is one of the pioneering organizations in exposing the often-overlooked harms of pornography on children and the unique dangers families face in the digital landscape,” he says.
Providing a Framework for Empowerment, Action, and Advocacy
Frost started Wired Human with the goal of empowering children and teens to speak up about the risks they encounter online, especially those arising from inadequate safety standards for the technology industry. “The exposure of children to online pornography represents a significant injustice, as it negatively impacts their physical, psychological, emotional, and social development while fostering patterns that lead to addiction,” Frost says.
“The exposure of children to online pornography represents a significant injustice, as it negatively impacts their physical, psychological, emotional, and social development while fostering patterns that lead to addiction.”
This focus on youth advocacy is woven into Wired Human’s programs and initiatives, including a Youth Coalition that enables young people to speak up for policy and industry change. In 2025, the organization will launch an educational curriculum that incorporates critical thinking and advocacy skills so students can learn how to protect themselves and advocate for safer platforms.
He also speaks up for online safety in his book, The Glass Between Us, which aims to help adults recognize the often-hidden dangers of poor online safety standards. Frost co-authored the book with his wife as a guide to help parents, educators, and mentors engage in empowering, value-based conversations with youth about the digital world’s challenges — especially the impact of pornography and digital exploitation. He says each chapter includes research with real-life examples and practical, interactive exercises that help families foster an environment for open communication, allowing teens to express their frustrations with online harms, equipping them to resist exploitative digital content, and empowering them to stand up for change.
While tech tools create a sense of hyperconnection, Frost says constant digital interactions can leave young people feeling isolated despite abundant online connections. In The Glass Between Us, he explores how prolonged screen time and exposure to specific content, such as social media and pornography, can exacerbate mental health struggles like anxiety and depression.
At the heart of Frost’s book is the R.U.M.B. framework: Relationship, Understanding, Mentorship, and Boundaries. The approach is structured to guide youth away from digital pornography and promote healthier online interactions. Frost says each stage of R.U.M.B. builds upon the previous, creating a supportive environment where teens feel empowered to make media choices that align with their values and goals. Here’s how each stage contributes:
- Relationship: By dedicating quality time to connect with teens, caregivers create a foundation of trust and open communication.
- Understanding: This stage involves seeking the underlying motivations behind a teen’s media consumption. By empathizing with their interests in digital media, caregivers can foster a non-judgmental environment.
- Mentorship: Once the foundations of relationship and understanding are established, kids and teens will be much more willing to hear wisdom. Mentorship guides teens in identifying positive and negative values in their digital interactions.
- Boundaries: Once teens recognize and commit to their values, boundaries help them reinforce these values in their digital lives. Instead of merely imposing restrictions, boundaries protect the aspects of life they’ve chosen to prioritize.
“This comprehensive strategy not only discourages harmful media consumption, like digital pornography but also empowers teens to make choices that support their well-being and relationships,” Frost says. “Through the R.U.M.B. process, teens engage in self-reflection, practice value-based decision-making, and develop a sustainable approach to media use.”
Making Policy Progress with Partners Like Culture Reframed
Frost says the Culture Reframed virtual conference is a significant opportunity to spread the word about advocacy and action to address the harms of online pornography. In particular, he points to the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), which the U.S. Senate approved in July 2024. KOSA includes provisions that allow young users to turn off algorithmic recommendations, specifically those based on personalized data.
“This feature would give minors the option to disable algorithms that use their personal data to curate content feeds, enabling them to view content in a chronological order instead,” Frost says. This control would help reduce the manipulative effects of recommendation algorithms and give youth more control over their online experience.
“Culture Reframed is one of the original truth-teller organizations about the harms of pornography on children and youth and the overarching dangers families face raising children in an uncontested digital world.”
The legislation’s progress reflects the work of Culture Reframed and Founder Gail Dines in drawing attention to the issue, Frost says. “Culture Reframed is one of the original truth-teller organizations about the harms of pornography on children and youth and the overarching dangers families face raising children in an uncontested digital world,” he says. “I am convinced that bills like the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) would not be on the table if Culture Reframed was not highlighting the urgency for change.”
Events like Culture Reframed’s virtual conference fill a growing and vital need for families, educators, and health professionals, Frost says. “This event breaks down traditional knowledge silos, fostering an interdisciplinary exchange among experts in psychology, education, and technology policy,” he says. “Through the conference, attendees can gain research-backed tools and practical approaches, empowering them to holistically address issues like digital addiction, exploitation, and mental health concerns, similar to the practical, empathetic approach presented in The Glass Between Us.”
Join Culture Reframed on December 5, 2024, for an international virtual conference to help us build coalitions for action against pornography. This important and timely event will bring together the widespread, dedicated community of passionate individuals around the world who are working tirelessly to counter the effects of hypersexualized media and porn on young people.
