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Story of recovering porn addict, 13, told in doc film coming to Surrey

‘Over 18’ movie is about porn’s impact on kids and others
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The documentary movie “Over 18” focuses on a boy named Joseph, 13, a recovering porn addict.

SURREY — A documentary film that explores the impact of modern pornography on kids, teens, parents and porn stars will be shown in Surrey on Tuesday evening (May 16).

The movie Over 18, directed by Jared and Michelle Brock, tells the story of Joseph, a 13-year-old boy who is recovering from a porn addiction that he fell into when he was nine years old.

The film, recommended for people over the age of 16, will be shown at Our Lady of Good Counsel School, at 10504 139th St., Surrey, starting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The screening is hosted by parishioners of the adjacent Catholic church.

“One of our parishioners attended a screening of this film at the John Paul II Catholic Archdiocese Office earlier this year and was motivated to screen the film locally,” Roger Roy, an organizer of the event, told the Now-Leader in an email.

The film compares what porn used to be in the magazine era and what it’s become in the age of the internet, and demonstrates why kids in particular are susceptible to addiction, according to a synopsis posted at Over18doc.com.

“We want to educate parents about what their kids are being exposed to online and encourage them to talk with them about it. But conversations aren’t enough,” the movie producers state on the website.

“We also think that adult websites should be mandated to install meaningful age verification systems so that no one under the age of 18 can access their highly addictive material. This new law would help protect our kids online and provide an easy and effective way for parents and caregivers to prevent their children from being exposed to pornography.”

Jared and Michelle Brock co-founded Hope for the Sold, described as a charity that “fights exploitation one word at a time through writing, speaking and film.”

They encourage parents to ask their kids if they’ve seen porn before.

“If the answer is yes, this film may be good for them to see. Sometimes parents bring their teenagers with them, and have a conversation about it together afterwards, which can be very effective.”

The 13-year-old featured in film calls himself a recovering porn addict.

“Jo’s message to viewers is that you don’t have to keep your porn addiction a secret,” the directors say on the film website. “You can bring dark things into the light and deal with them. Our message to parents is that many of their kids are struggling, and there are things they can do to protect them from exposure and addiction to online graphic sexual content.”

tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com



Tom Zillich

About the Author: Tom Zillich

I cover entertainment, sports and news stories for the Surrey Now-Leader, where I've worked for more than half of my 30-plus years in the newspaper business.
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