Episode Description
When children are exposed to confronting sexualised online content, parents can be left reeling—worried about the impact, unsure what to do next, and tempted to jump into control mode. While Australia has now rolled out age restrictions for children and social media, much of the damage has already been done, leaving many families trying to work out how to respond. Yet children recover best when the adults around them restore their own steadiness first. When parents can respond calmly and with clarity, they create the secure space children need to make sense of what happened and re-establish healthy attitudes to sex and intimacy.
In this episode, we speak with Dr Marshall Ballantine-Jones, a leading specialist in online sexualisation education with more than 25 years of experience supporting children, youth, and families. As CEO of DigiHelp Publishing, Marshall designs school-based programs that address the realities of online behaviour with honesty, compassion, and practical strategies.
Together, we explore:
- Why children’s online exposure can unsettle parents just as much as children
- Getting real about the damaging impacts of porn exposure for children
- How parents can restore steadiness before guiding their child forward
- Practical ways to support children as they recover and rebuild healthy understandings of sex and intimacy
- What effective “repair” looks like at home—without shame, panic, or overcontrol
- How strengthening the parent-child connection remains the most protective factor
This conversation offers reassurance for parents who feel overwhelmed, replacing fear-driven reactions with grounded confidence. Instead of trying to control every risk, parents can learn to steady themselves—so their children can recover well and continue developing with hope and resilience.
Links
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marshall-ballantine-jones-2096a933a
6 Principles for Parenting in a Porn Culture: https://resistministries.org/parents/
