When you look at statistics on Google Trends for the highest number of Internet searches for pornography per capita in the world, T&T comes first. Nepal comes second.
Further analysis of the data, according to Google Trends, shows that the most searches for pornography in this country come from Siparia. Sangre Grande comes second. T&T has been ranking number one since 2014.
Speaking at the Consider This! A National Conversation conference hosted by the Archdiocesan Family Life Commission in conjunction with Jubilee Catholic Community, held at the Hilton Trinidad and Conference Centre yesterday, Mary Anne Lawyden, PhD, said Internet pornography is the "new crack cocaine" because of its addictive nature.
"Psychologists now call Internet pornography the new crack cocaine and it is in fact more dangerous than crack cocaine because it is harder to get the pornography addict into remission than it is to get a cocaine addict into remission and it is more likely that the pornography addict is going to relapse than the cocaine addict. So this is actually tougher," Lawyden said.
"When working with the cocaine addict or the heroine addict or any other kind of addict the first step in treatment is to get that addictive substance out of their system; they have to detox, clean out the heroine, clean out the cocaine. How do you clean out the pornography? It is in your brain forever. It is the first time we have to treat an addictive substance which is permanently implanted in the brain. So this is a whole new kind of addiction we are fighting," she said.
Developmental and forensic paediatrician Dr Sharon Cooper said because of the ill effects of pornography parents must ensure that their children are protected from seeing it.
"Parents who put their children on auto pilot with technology are putting their children at risk. A lot of parents do not know this when they buy technology for their children such as tablets and smartphones," Cooper said.
The conference ends today.
