I Caught My 11-Year-Old Watching Some ... Alarming Videos on His School Laptop

"I recently caught my 11-year-old son watching domination and bondage videos on a laptop we let him use for school. Though content filters are on the machine and set to block sexual content, the videos were on YouTube and depict no sex or nudity, but the language is graphic. There was plenty of humiliation and demeaning of young (adult) women to a degree I and my spouse find uncomfortable."

"He says he started watching more and more graphic bondage and domination content after seeing a duct-tape challenge on YouTube, and found that the videos made him feel powerful and stimulated. I am very concerned that he has been more and more verbally abusive to his younger sibling and seems to try to mimic things he has seen on YouTube, and has been caught doing inappropriate things at school."

"Looking back, we are realizing he has likely spent months if not years hiding in his room late at night watching these videos. He is a great kid who cares empathetically about other people and our pets but has few friends, and the pandemic has taken its toll on socializing."

A parent discovered their 11-year-old son accessing graphic domination and bondage videos on YouTube despite content filters. The child reported the interest began after viewing a duct-tape challenge and escalated over months or years. The parents are concerned because the videos contain graphic language and demeaning content toward women, and they've noticed behavioral changes including increased verbal abuse toward his younger sibling, attempts to mimic seen content, and inappropriate school behavior. The family describes themselves as moderate and progressive regarding sex education but unprepared for BDSM interest at this age. The child has few friends and pandemic isolation has affected his social development. The parents seek guidance on keeping their son safe while managing his continued interest in this content.

Read at Slate Magazine