Below are just some of the sexually explicit, incestuous, and pedophilic books within our Redlands Unified School District. Candy Olson has been a leading voice fighting to prevent children from being exposed to hypersexualized material. Despite filing numerous book challenges, Candy and many concerned community members and parents have only had success in the middle schools, where three challenged books have been removed. However, none of the Redlands high schools will remove this content.
If elected, one of Candy Olson’s top priorities is to clean up our school libraries, having only age-appropriate content accessible. Different policy options could work—an opt-in policy where parents may opt-in to allow their child to view/check out sexually graphic material, or a policy that removes content while it’s being reviewed for appropriateness. The bottom line is that parents need to be aware of and consent to what’s available for their child to read and check out.
Identical by Ellen Hopkins, is in our RUSD high school libraries. It has not been officially challenged yet but should be soon due to the explicit sexual pedophilic and incestuous content.
“Exposure to Sexually Explicit Media in Early Adolescence Is Related to Risky Sexual Behavior in Emerging Adulthood”
Authors: Eric W. G. M. van de Bongardt, Tom F. M. ter Bogt, Elisabeth Dubas, et al. Journal: Developmental Psychology
This study concludes that exposure to sexually explicit internet material is associated with various adverse outcomes in minors.These include earlier initiation of sexual activity, engagement in risky sexual behaviors, distorted gender roles, negative body image, increased aggressiveness, and symptoms of anxiety or depression.The authors emphasize the need for preventive strategies and education to mitigate these potential harms.
“Exposure to Sexual Content and Problematic Sexual Behaviors in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis”
Authors: Peter J. J. Goemans, Elze E. Lansu, Eveline L. A. van Vlimmeren, et al. Journal: JAMA Pediatrics
This study concludes that exposure to sexually explicit content, including both non-violent and violent/live sexual content, is significantly associated with an increased likelihood of engaging in problematic sexual behaviors among children and adolescents.
“Longitudinal Associations Between the Use of Sexually Explicit Material and Adolescents' Attitudes and Behaviors: A Narrative Review of Studies”
Authors: Eric W. G. M. van de Bongardt, Martine L. A. van der Steen, Arjan E. R. Bos, et al. Journal: Journal of Adolescent Health
In this narrative review, Koletić analyzed 20 longitudinal studies from nine different research projects to examine the effects of sexually explicit material on adolescents' attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. The findings indicate that sexually explicit material exposure is associated with various aspects of adolescent development, including sexual behavior, sexual norms and attitudes, gender attitudes, self-esteem, sexual satisfaction, uncertainty, and preoccupancy. Additionally, the studies reported developmental effects on adolescents' behavioral, cognitive, and emotional well-being.