Hello Reader,

When unexpected content shows up, how do we talk about it with our kids?

A recent sports ad featuring Sydney Sweeney for the platform Novig has sparked lots of concerned reactions about what children are exposed to while watching sports.

Dodgers outfielder Alex Call also spoke out about these ads after watching a baseball game with his young son. On X, he said:

But here’s the positive (and reality-based) truth–we can use these moments as opportunities to build healthy responses and critical thinking when it comes to the toxic content we all are accidentally exposed to online.

So, what can you do if your child sees something sexualized on screen?

Here are my best recommendations–and don’t miss the real life example a parent provided below.

🟢 Try to respond calmly and not overreact–then apologize. A good idea might be to say something like, “I’m sorry you had to see that–I always try to keep you safe from seeing bad or inappropriate pictures or videos. I didn’t think a televised game that children could be watching would have an ad like that.”

Let them know they can talk to you at any time about how they’re feeling or ask any questions they might have.

💬 Talk about why the ad is there. Explain that advertisers sometimes use sexualized images to grab attention and make people remember a product. This can help your child begin to recognize that ads are designed to influence our emotions and behaviors, rather than simply provide information. Keep your explanation age-appropriate and reassure your child that noticing an image or feeling curious about it is normal.

If they feel bad, or even curious, about what they saw, reassure them that it’s because it was a bad picture and not because they are a bad kid.

🧠 Help them engage their thinking brain. We can notice something without letting it control our attention or choices. We can use our thinking brain to think of something different and better whenever a thought or image pops back up into our mind. Over time and with practice, that image will bother us less and less.

Use the CAN DO Plan in Good Pictures Bad Pictures and Good Pictures Bad Pictures Guide for Girls to give kids a strong neuro defense against accidental exposure. Help your kids learn the steps of the plan that help them neutralize unwanted images and memories.

The bigger takeaway: We can’t control everything our children see, especially during live sports broadcasts, but we can help them make sense of it. We can calmly respond with age-appropriate conversations. We can give our kids the tools to “forget” or neutralize unexpected and unwanted content.

And that can lead to greater confidence and resilience as they mature.

Here’s a real life example!

👀 Watch how one boy was able to turn away from an inappropriate MLB ad by reading our books and other resources with his parents: https://www.instagram.com/p/De130ANRFPf/​
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Kindly,

Kristen

P.S. All are welcome! Do you work with children? If so, we would love to have you at our upcoming Heal Young Minds conference on November 13th. Here is what you can expect:

• Recognize ways exposure may affect children’s behavior, development, and well-being
• Assess for exposure, trauma, problematic sexual behaviors and pornography use
• Ask sensitive questions in ways that reduce shame and build trust
• Apply practical interventions and resources with children and caregivers via presentations and role plays
• Better collaborate across disciplines to support prevention, intervention, and healing

Join us virtually on Friday, November 13th. Learn more and register at HealYoungMinds.com.

The Good Pictures Bad Pictures books are excellent resources for helping parents start age-appropriate conversations with their children about pornography. Having these important discussions early can help protect children from confusion, shame, and future trauma while building trust and open communication.