5. Take Inventory and Destroy  

Consider the types of media outlets your teen has access to in the home: movies, satellite and cable TV, videos, music, the Internet. Consider what your teen watches and listens to. What influences do these media messages have, or have the potential to have, on your teen?  

If you suspect or know that your teen is struggling with porn, remove the source from the home immediately. If this is a computer, make sure its location is in a high-traffic area in the home and that your teen never has access to it unless in your presence. If the source is a TV, it must go. If the source is magazines, they must go. No questions, no rationalizing—whatever it is, it must go!  

This sounds strong, but remember, this is war. You cannot expect to defeat the enemy if the enemy still has access to your home. Of course, this purging of your home will not eliminate access to all the porn in the world. But by removing the immediate sources, you will be sending a strong message to your teen that you are prepared to take extreme measures to break the bondage in which he or she is living.

6. Develop a Strategy for the Future

It is unrealistic to think that just because you remove sources of temptation from the home, your teen will never again be tempted to use porn. So it’s important for you to develop a strategy for your teen, while both inside and outside the home, to help him or her avoid repeating an addictive behavior.

Because each teen’s situation, lifestyle, and personality is unique, there is no one strategy that will work for everyone. I recommend that you take some time with your spouse (if married) and outline a game plan before discussing it with your teen. That game plan should include, but not be limited to, the following:

Establishing a routine. Your teen needs to see the importance of a disciplined, routine schedule. The key here is not to isolate your teen from his daily activities, hobbies, and interests completely. But setting boundaries on what he or she can do will help your teen develop a greater sense of security.  

Work to help your teen’s schedule stay full enough so that his or her mind remains occupied. Chores, sports, a part-time job, volunteering, and more can be helpful outlets.

Approving friendships. One teen told me that his mom and dad found out he was checking out porn at home, so they removed the computer from his room. Then he started checking it out at his best friend’s house.

Remember, your teen’s friends play a huge role in his or her decision making. Choosing friends who are in line with God’s will for your teen’s life is a critical step to overcoming the temptations to check out porn. First Corinthians 15:33 says, “Bad company corrupts good character.”

It is essential that your teen choose friends that push him or her toward God rather than ones that pull him or her away. Let your teen know that you will have debriefings about who your teen’s friends are and where he or she spends time.

Killing the lies. Satan often wins the porn war when he wins the war in your teen’s mind. Communicate to your teen that Satan will work to sell him or her such lies as these:

• “What’s the big deal? It’s just a naked picture. Besides, looking at porn is lot better than sleeping with someone.”
• “I’m so good in every other area of life. This is just my one issue.”
• “No one is going to know. And what harm will really come from it?”
• “I deserve this. I’ve had a really tough week.”

Communicating with your teen. If your teen has been checking out porn for some time, then it is highly probable that he or she will experience setbacks in separating from this darkness. The evil forces will pull out all their weapons to try to drive harmful desires deeper into your teen’s mind. The best way to control these moments is to have consistent times of communication with your teen. Regularly ask questions such as these:

• “How are you feeling about your struggle?”
• “Have you had any setbacks?”
• “What’s going on in your head?”

Let your teen see that you are serious about fighting with him or her against the Enemy in this area, no matter how long it takes.

Establishing goals. Develop a set of goals your teen strives to achieve. As he or she proves trustworthy, the teen will then be granted more freedom. Use this as an encouragement to help your teen see progress.