Visits to porn sites have dropped from 16.9 percent of all site visits in America in October 2005 to 11.9 percent – a 33 percent decline.
By examining which websites social network users visit after logging into their profiles, the data company Hitwise provides a bit of insight into how sites like Facebook and MySpace fit into their members’ daily online lives. For teens and young adults, social networks rank first, followed by search engines, then web-based e-mail – with porn sites lagging behind in fourth.
Data shows that as visits to social networks go up, visits to adult sites go down. There’s no definite correlation between the two, but the data shows a definite change in online habits amongst Gen Yers: It’s possible they’re too busy chatting with friends to use the traditional e-mail and Instant Messaging, much less visit porn sites.
How many of your students have a MySpace or Facebook account? How many have both? Do you use these in your ministry?
Given the apparent correlation between the rise in social networking, which students use to connect and belong, and the drop in visits to pornography sites, do you think both types of sites strive to meet a common need? If so, what can congregations do to help meet that need in healthy ways?
