Lesson video

Hi there everybody, my name is Ms Shaw, really pleased you're joining me today for this lesson.

In which we'll be focusing on the damaging impact of viewing explicit materials on relationships.

So this lesson is going to focus on the distorted expectations including the ones that we have of sex.

And the links to abusive relationships caused by viewing explicit materials.

Now, this lesson does cover sensitive topics and therefore we recommend checking with a trusted adult, before you start this lesson or during the lesson with a trusted adult nearby.

For the lesson you're going to need, an exercise book or some paper, you're also going to need a pen, and as usual, we're going to need our brains.

So hopefully you've already completed your Intro Quiz.

Firstly, we're going to take a look at what is meant by distorted expectations.

Then we'll look at the impact of viewing explicit materials on relationships.

Then we'll look at how we can seek support and report any concerns that we have.

And finally we'll cover the key learning points and you will complete your Exit Quiz.

So just to recap from some prior learning two of the key words on this slide were covered in previous lessons.

I'd like you to have a read through and choose the correct ones.

So pause here and then come back when you've completed the task.

Did you get them correct? Explicit material refers to any media which contains content of an adult or a potentially harmful nature.

And stereotypes meant a widely held belief or expectation of a particular category or group of people.

Now the other two, which were distorted expectations and abuse, we're going to be learning about, in more detail in today's lesson.

So the keywords you need to know for this lesson, are distorted expectations, which means having unrealistic or warped perceptions of reality and life Cognitive distortions, which means having irrational thoughts or beliefs, usually negative, which contributes to having distorted expectations.

Explicit material which refers to any media, which contains contents of an adult or harmful nature.

And abusive relationships which refers to treating somebody cruelly or violently especially on a regular or repeated basis.

So in this first section, we're going to look into distorted expectations, including sexual ones, caused by viewing explicit materials.

So as a quick recap from prior learning.

I want you to pick out which of the following are forms of explicit content.

So pause here, pick out the correct ones, and then come back when you've made your choices.

Were you correct? violence, online harassment, any sorts of sexual content maybe nude or semi-nude images, content promoting drinking, or drugs underage particularly, sites which promote self harm or suicide any source of content which causes upset or distress, there's potential for content promoting terrorism or extremism and sexualized behaviour or inappropriate language.

Now the other two, which were monitored chat rooms, which we know are quite good to engage with, because you know that there's someone there checking the content and making sure it's appropriate.

And accessing gaming, online gaming forums, these can be done in a regulated and monitored way as well.

And of course, if you do have any issue, speaking to a trusted adult or raising concerns with them is always a good move.

So what are cognitive distortions? So I'd like you just to pause here to have a read, so to really make sure you understand what these are.

So they are the attitudes that we adopt and the way that we think and it's really important to our mental health and how we perceive things and what's going on in our lives.

Now, often people automatically assume thought patterns which are quite habitual and you might've picked up from family or friends.

So if we think in a negative way, and we're always like glass is half empty and that's the way we view everything in life, then nothing is going to ever make us happy.

And the people that you spend time with you are all moody all the time, they're not going to want to be spending time with you and being around you.

And this can lead to anxiety and stress and depression and all the mental health illnesses, and it can be so embedded in our thoughts that it can really affect the logical and rational way that we would normally go on to make our decisions.

So what do we mean by distorted expectations? And how might these relate to viewing explicit materials? Now I'd like you to pause here, just to consider these two questions.

Have a really good think about them and then come back in a few minutes.

So how did your thoughts compare to mine? Well, distorted expectations when we're growing up in it, in a life where we're bombarded with masses of information and it comes from loads of different platforms such as our family or from what we learn in school and our teachers and our peers, perhaps it's things that we've accessed on the internet or we've read in books, or we've watched on television or in films and fond this information, we learn about life and love and relationships and what we should expect about all of those areas or issues.

Now, the problem is that much of that information can be incomplete or it's biassed based on other people's opinions or thoughts, or it could be just plain wrong and incorrect.

And when we're young we don't have the life experiences to be able to recognise that that might be incorrect.

So as a result, we then end up being left with unrealistic or inaccurate expectations of life and in particular relationships and sex, and this can then lead to relationship problems in the future and moving forward.

So in this next section, we're going to look at the links to abusive relationships which have been caused by viewing explicit materials.

So being exposed to explicit materials can have an effect on romantic relationships.

What I'd like you to do is to pause here, and to list any ways that you can think, of being exposed to any sort of explicit material might have an effect on a romantic relationship.

So how does being exposed to explicit material affect romantic relationships? How does your list compare with mine? Well, exposure to explicit content can distort your thoughts and make you believe that inappropriate things are actually true.

Most people, however, would not like you to behave in many of the ways that are shown in explicit content.

Whether it's sexual or violent or racist or sexist, for example.

Everybody is different, and what one person might think is acceptable, another person would absolutely not.

And often the behaviours of the people seen in explicit content is really not realistic and can often be abusive or exaggerated.

So here, I'd like you to think about which of the following statements about the effects of viewing explicit content on relationships is false.

So read through the options and pause here while you do that, read through the options and then come back when you've chosen which one you think is false.

So were you correct? The content in explicit material can encourage inappropriate beliefs about what constitutes a healthy relationship.

And unrealistic expectations of the nature of romantic relationships can occur because of that.

Also abusive behaviour that might seen in explicit material can be unconsciously imitated.

So where somebody's copied that behaviour because they've seen it and they've just unconsciously, they're not actually thinking, I know I'm going to copy that, it just happens.

Viewing explicit content can have a negative effect on a young person's attitude and belief, very rarely would it be positive.

So in this section, we're going to look at how we can respond to issues and get advice or support.

So which of the following, do you think we should not do if exposed to explicit content? So pause here, read through the options, choose which one we should not do if exposed to explicit content.

Were you correct? So it is a good idea to turn your screen off speak to a trusted adult, especially if you've seen or viewed something that's upsetting or distressing, close it down if something pops up onto the screen and you could even block the user that the content came from and report them on the platform that they are using.

It is not a good idea to send the content onto other users to see if they find it upsetting too, 'cause chances are, if you have, they are more than likely going to as well.

So there are many sources of support available to help with issues relating to explicit content, particularly in abusive relationships.

I'd like you to make a list of suggestions, pause here to complete the task and then come back when you've done.

So how did your list compare with mine? Well, as we've said, many times before, speaking to a trusted adult, such as a teacher or a family member or your GP or school nurse, perhaps the police or youth worker is a really good idea.

If you are, or somebody else that you know of, is in immediate danger you should just call 999 straight away.

There are also lots of online agencies or charities that have been set up for advice and support.

So, thinkuknow.

co.

uk, and internetmatters.

org full of useful information for young people and their parents and carers.

You could also contact Local Child Protection Services and there are many services that your GP can points you in the right direction as well, and get you in contact with, should you need that to help and support.

So I'd like you to think about this scenario here, Mohammed is a shy studious student who keeps out of trouble and he appears generally happy and ambitious.

Now his dad works away a lot.

and his mom is very busy looking after his younger siblings, and he spends a lot of time online and has had other users send him links to things that he really hasn't felt comfortable looking at.

Now it upsets him, but doesn't feel like he can ask them to stop.

And he doesn't know what to do for the best.

So for your task here, I would like you to think what Mohammed could do and suggest at least three helpful strategies.

So pause the video here, and then come back once you've got at least three helpful strategies that Mohammed could consider.

So what do you think Mohammed could do? Do your answer match mine? I said that Mohamed could perhaps turn the screen off, speak to a trusted adult, because mom's too busy, he could go and speak to another family member or perhaps someone at school, one of his teachers, etcetera.

He could also ask his other friends for advices what do they think he should do? So asking his peers, he could block the user that the content came from, and report them on the platform that they are using.

He could also visit online apps and websites and advice for support.

He could contact an anonymous support agency, such as Childline.

Or he could speak to his school nurse or GP.

So the key learning from this lesson is that being exposed to explicit content can lead to distorted expectations.

Viewing explicit materials can contribute towards abusive relationships.

It's really important to recognise what to do if you are exposed to explicit content, and getting the appropriate help or support really is vital.

I'd now like you to pause the video to complete your Exit Quiz, to check the understanding of the content of this lesson, and very well done, on completing the second lesson in this unit.

I should look forward to working with you again, bye bye for now.