Sitting on the edge of the couch as suiting his short legs, the 8-year-old averted his gaze from the television's image of immodesty.

He pointed at the screen while still looking away, and with all the righteous indignation a recently baptized boy could muster — which is considerable — said, "That's inappropriate!"

Well-taught by his mother, this youngster's discernment may well be a model in a world flooded with inappropriate, pornographic images.

"Pornography is especially dangerous and addictive," said President Thomas S. Monson during the priesthood meeting of the April 2010 general conference. "Curious exploration of pornography can become a controlling habit, leading to coarser material and to sexual transgression. Avoid pornography at all costs."

Its pervasivenesse swamps a generation caught by exposure to powerful, hard-wired instinctive responses — King Benjamin's "natural man" (Mosiah 3:19) — that circumvent spiritual boundaries and in a few short weeks of exposure, can lead to possible addictive behavior.

Even as we battle to recover those thus trapped, we must begin education to help the next generation to remain pure. The battle against this sin must now be brought to a new front and waged with new intensity.

Parents and leaders must take the initiative and teach young children that viewing inappropriate images is immoral; a wrong, a sin that requires repentance. Our children must be taught at a young age, perhaps at 8, with the same fervor as the anti-drug campaign. They must be taught by parents in a very personal and intimate way not to view inappropriate images. They must be monitored and instructed regularly. When their response is silence and a lowered gaze, such questions as, "When was the last time you viewed?" "Where did you view?" and "Will you tell me the next time you are tempted, and will you let me help you avoid this temptation?" might well be posed.

Scoutmasters must teach Scouts that viewing such images is not morally straight, and breaking the Scout Law may well mean not advancing to the next rank. Teachers and leaders must exercise extreme sensitivity to open communications yet avoid any kind of reference that might foster or justify curiosity.

We must endeavor to rear a pure generation, one instilled with willingness to shun inappropriate scenes, one wise enough to avoid ramping into pornography from the very movie of which it is said, "It's not that bad."

And what of those of the current generation now caught in this habit? Are they to "decrease as to their faith and righteousness, because of the wickedness of the rising generation?" (3 Nephi 1:30).

To the contrary: most of those caught are good people, valuable and gifted individuals well loved by the Savior. He can and will reclaim all such as follow the steps of faith and repentance. These familiar steps echoed since Primary, however, are now steeper and taller.

Their plight may be illustrated by an allegory: A college professor once asked his students to shut the doors and closely watch while he set a mouse on the floor. The rodent invariably scuttled to one side of the room.

"Why always that direction?" the professor asked.

No one knew. "It's because of negative photo-taxis," he said. "Mice will always run to the shadows." Then his students noticed he had turned off the lights on one side of the room, the side where the frightened mouse now hunkered in search of privacy and isolation.

Like the mouse, a typical youth caught in a compulsive cycle of pornography viewing will seek the shadows in an effort to protect reputation.

But it is the adversary who is lord of the darkness.

We must follow the Savior's lead in inviting them back into the light of His love. One meaningful signpost for all those caught in the snare of addiction — the individual, parents, siblings, spouses — is the Church's excellent new web site, combatingpornography.org. This site focuses the wisdom of the Brethren and channels educational resources of the Church in helping to resolve the problem.

One of the directions to which it points is the Church's inspired recovery program. In it, one decides to "turn your will and your life over to the care of God the Eternal Father and His Son, Jesus Christ"

Entirely confidential, meetings are a spiritual oasis from the oppression of the flesh; here, among those committed to change, the lowered gaze gradually rises in hope; a darkened countenance regains light.

The path of recovery is filled with relapses and pain, but leads gradually to strength. Insights buoyed by brotherhood and sisterhood distill into an overwhelming love and appreciation of and for the Savior and His magnificent and healing Atonement, of which too much praise cannot be given. Those in successful recovery are examples of humility to us all, and their wisdom in shunning every aspect of inappropriate viewing a lesson to everyone, young and old.

The battle we are engaged in is now an all-out war.

This is a war we must all fight. We must fight it as Captain Moroni wrote on the Title of Liberty: "In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children."

And win we must.