Adolescence stands out as a process in which young people question themselves in different areas such as religious, social, cultural and sexual identity, as well as physical and hormonal changes, and shape their identities through role models.
Social media, digital platforms and peer circles can also have an impact on the content young people encounter and the perceptions they develop during this period.
Evaluating the concepts of informing children about healthy sexual identity development, the role of families in this process, the impact of LGBT content on young people in digital media, and the concepts he defined as "social contagion" and "peer contagion", Akın said to the AA correspondent that every young person questions himself in different areas of identity during adolescence.
Touching on identity development during adolescence, Istanbul Medeniyet University Faculty of Educational Sciences, Guidance and Psychological Counseling Department faculty member Prof. Dr. Ahmet Akın "During adolescence, every young person questions and checks himself in terms of religious, philosophical, political, moral, social, cultural and sexual identity - these are all identity headings. He looks at the people he will take as role models. If they are suitable, he decides which one he will identify with." he said.
Akın stated that children should be informed about healthy sexual identity development during adolescence and that education for families should also be increased.
"There is intense propaganda that will cause young people to experience sexual identity confusion."
Describing the impact of social media and peer circle on young people as "social contagion" and "peer contagion", Akın said:
"We call these increases that have reached the level of danger 'social contagion', and social contagion is a very powerful thing. It spreads massively, and now the mass of them is the whole world. They deal directly with children who experience sexual identity confusion through social contagion or peer contagion. So, who experiences sexual identity confusion? Everyone, every young person experiences and goes through this process."
Referring to the impact of digital media on this process, Akın said, "Currently, the system of LGBT lobbies works very differently. There is intense propaganda using all the arguments in the cartoons, games, TV series, media and social media sectors to cause children and young people to experience sexual identity confusion. Behind this, there are heavily funded global lobbies." he said.
"All of these children and young people can be brought back."
Stating that there were role models before social media was widely used and that children first took their parents as role models, Akın continued his words as follows:
"For example, we need to look at the influence of parents. Cold father, indifferent father, abandoning father, violent father, patriarchal father... For example, polite child, naive child, obsessive child, aesthetic child, sensitive child, artistic child... This child will not have an indifferent, cold, harsh, patriarchal father. Because the boy will take his role model and identity from the father. This mistake is made a lot. 'Everyone will be the same man.' Your father has three sons, and he expects the same masculinity and masculinity from all of them. "This is against creation."
Emphasizing that healthy parent-child communication should be strengthened, Akın said, "All of these children and young people can be regained with good rehabilitation, healthy communication and a strong awareness, by repairing ties with the family and resolving traumas with the parents. We need to establish healthy parent-child communication and we must do this urgently. We must all say 'stop' to this trend together. Otherwise, things will not get better." he said.
