Elsa, tell us a little about what made you take the step to found the organization Porrfri Barndom (Porn-Free Childhood)?
My eyes were opened with a bang when I realized that online porn is as accessible as children's channels and that the content is as violent as it is today on the most popular porn hubs. We are often contacted by both parents and children who tell us that the children have been exposed already in elementary school and that they often feel bad about the violence they have seen. It was also clear that Sweden is many years behind our time regarding porn prevention for children - we wanted to change that!
Porrfri Barndom's work is based on research, clinical experience and knowledge from experts and researchers. The organization collaborates with several experts in healthcare, preschool and school, digitalization and technology, some of whom are part of the organization's Advisory board. Together with experts and the Advisory board, Porrfri Barndom is a preventive force, with collected knowledge and experience from a broad spectrum of professional fields that contribute to a necessary driving force in society.
What are the biggest obstacles you see to achieving your vision that all children should be able to grow up in an environment that is free from online pornography and have the opportunity to develop their own sexuality without the influence of the porn industry?
Firstly, most telecom and internet operators in Sweden do not offer so-called porn filters free of charge to their customers, so that all families with children can afford it, and secondly, they often have very limited information about the existence of child protection, how to install it and why it is important. The operators, who have direct contact with virtually all parents in Sweden, could send out direct links with a single push SMS, both asking if they want to activate porn filters and how to have age-appropriate conversations with children. Another major obstacle is that the Swedish National Agency for Education recently excluded porn criticism from the school's new sex education - despite the government's explicit mission to include porn criticism.
How do you measure success and see concrete results in your work and how can we as parents contribute to achieving your vision?
There are many ways to measure the process. Among other things, we conducted a survey of all municipalities in Sweden to find out how many have started working with porn prevention in activities for children, which showed that we are up to over 70% compared to under 50% when we started the organization three years ago. We can also follow the development among the operators, which ones are starting to offer free porn filters and information to parents. It is also possible to see that there has been a sharp increase in the number of individual parliamentary motions for porn prevention since we started, which moves the process forward in terms of raising the issue on the agenda in parliament, but these are almost always rejected, therefore a proposition is needed for it to have a real effect for the children. But not least, it is both measurable and clear in traditional and social media that we have put children's exposure to porn on the agenda. Let us continue this work and get more people involved!