Effects of pornography on young people

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The effects of pornography on young people are a topic of significant concern and ongoing research, as it encompasses a wide range of psychological, social, and behavioral impacts. As access to the internet has grown, so too has the exposure of young individuals to pornographic content, often before they are emotionally or cognitively prepared to process it. Adolescents turn to pornography for various reasons, including insufficient sex education, sexual arousal, as a coping mechanism, entertainment, alleviating boredom, and exploring their sexual and gender identities.

Adolescents may also encounter content that disturbs them. Without alternative narratives, adolescents may develop harmful attitudes about women, sex, LGBTQ people, and people of color, as well as unrealistic expectations about sexual relationships.^[1] The use of pornography by adolescents is associated with certain sexual attitudes and behaviors, but causality remain unclear. The discourse around this subject is multifaceted, involving ethical, educational, and parental considerations, and continues to evolve with advancements in technology and changing societal norms.

The definition of pornography in research varies, with different terms used, such as "X-rated" or "erotica", and some studies refrain from providing a specific definition.^[2]

Gender stereotypical beliefs are understood as a belief that traditional, stereotypical ideas about male and female gender roles and gender relations dominate. These beliefs cover, progressive attitudes towards gender roles, conceptions of women as sexual objects, gender stereotypical beliefs about power imbalance in sexual relationships, and beliefs about gender equality. Pornography consumption prediced stronger stereotype beliefs over time, but not acceptance of rape myths or gendered sexual roles in emerging adulthood,^[3] and is overall linked to less progressive sexual beliefs, but the beliefs are low.^[4]

Permissive sexual behaviors are understood as a positive attitude towards casual sex, often outside of non-binding situations, and romantic relationships. Use of Internet pornography predicted permissive attitudes, and the use is associated with permissive sexual behaviors, however, the impact is generally low. It is, therefore, possible to speak of a relationship between more frequent pornography use and less strict (rather than more permissive) sexual attitudes.^[4]

When adolescents view pornography, it may be intentional (e.g.) independent searching or unintentional (e.g.) advertising on the Internet or spam emails.^[4] The incidence of use ranges from 7% to 98%, depending on the study and the group studied.^[4] Methodological differences, technological changes, and cultural context have been cited as reasons for this difference.^[4] Male adolescents with autism viewed pornography less often than neurotypical adolescents (ASD 41% vs. neurotypical 76%) and/or masturbated less regularly with pornography (ASD 39% vs. neurotypical 76%). In contrast, no difference was found among female adolescents.^[5] Age of first use ranges from 6 to 19 years for heterosexual adolescents, with an average age of 11 years for boys and 12 years for girls.^[6] First use of pornography ranges from 6 to 17 years for LGBTQ adolescents.^[6] The frequency of use among LGBTQ youth in the literature is often contradictory, with some studies reporting higher frequency than heterosexual youth and others not.^[6] How many adolescents come into contact with violence in pornography is unclear; in one survey, about three percent of adolescents have consumed pornography with violence.^[4] In another survey, this figure was 29% for boys and 16% for girls.^[7] In the U.S., the most common forms of pornography among urban, low-income, black, and Hispanic youth were depictions of heterosexual sex, and in rarer cases, more extreme forms of pornography, such as humiliation, bestiality, bondage, and bukkake.^[4]

Some youth tended to overestimate their own ability to critically evaluate pornography and to ignore ethical concerns about the pornography industry.^[1]

Girls are more repulsed by pornography and view it as silly and disgusting, having a negative attitude,^[4] and some felt that performers were forced to perform certain acts.^[1] While men tend to be less critical and reluctant to discuss the gender-specific effects of pornography.^[1]

Figures from The Netherlands in 2023: young men watched porn in the previous six months between 65% (13-15 years) and 96% (22-24 years), and young women between 22% (13-15 years) and 75% (22-24 years old).^[8]

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Adolescents turn to internet pornography for various reasons, including:^[9][10][6]

• Curiosity and seeking information about Sex and sexual organs, sex positions/-roles, bodies and behaviors how to behave, and how to masturbate and ejaculate.^[11] Pornography serves as a way to learn without the risks associated with actual sexual activity. Initially driven by curiosity about sex and pornography, adolescents later use pornography to understand sexual roles and expectations. It also provides a platform to study different sexual mechanisms and techniques of certain and new sexual acts.^[1] However, this is less of a reason to consume pornography, especially for frequent users. The usefulness of new information can predict how engaged individuals are with it. While seeking information ranks lower in frequency compared to arousal and pleasure,^[9] it remains more prevalent among males,^[1][4] but it's still unclear which exact subgroups of youth use pornography to learn about sex and sexuality.^[4] Adolescents feel that traditional sex education falls short in addressing their questions, making pornography a valuable source of information, because sex education was limited, focusing only on STDs, pregnancy risk, and heterosexual sex, or got skipped. For adolescents, pornography has increased value because it provided information that was not present in sex education.^[1] Adolescents saw pornography as an unavoidable or necessary source of information. Suggestions about sex education, include expanding sexual education to critically evaluate pornography, discussing consent, reducing the shame associated with viewing pornography, relationship management, and negotiation skills, and how to learn how to satisfy yourself and your partner. This should also address body image, sexual expectations, and prioritize physical and mental well-being, in terms of pleasure and sexual functioning. Adolescents emphasize the need for open and factual discussions about sex, both with adults and to stimulate discussions in small groups of trusted peers.^[1]
• Arousal and Amplification, a significant driving force behind pornography use, especially among boys,^[4] is its reinforcement of masturbation and the fulfillment of sexual desires.^[9] Adolescents sometimes use it as a substitute for intimacy after a breakup or when a partner is unavailable.^[1]
• Intimacy and Mate-seeking Motives: Young people reported discussing or viewing pornography with a romantic partner, often to increase sexual desire and satisfaction. But, not everyone sees shared consumption as normal. Some young women view it as a potential threat to the relationship and may not be comfortable integrating pornography into their partnerships, especially if pressured, to use pornography. Shared consumption still tends to adhere to traditional gender roles, with young men more inclined towards it and young women focusing on factors like context, privacy and regulation. For some women, consuming pornography is only acceptable within a relationship, which can indirectly pressure their consumption habits to deal with pornography outside of socially accepted contexts to protect their privacy and reduce stigma.^[1]
• Coping Mechanism: Apart from sexual arousal, a significant reason for using pornography is to cope with and alleviate negative emotions. Helping to manage psychological distress, loneliness, and discomfort. It is suggested as a potential causal relationship between lower mood states and the utilization of pornography as a coping strategy.^[9]
• Boredom and Entertainment: Boredom is a common trigger for engaging with pornography, as individuals often seek stimulating activities to alleviate this state.^[9] Seeking entertainment, is another motivation that is more common among boys, and in male groups.^[4] Watching pornography with peers allows young individuals to gauge others reactions, helping establish social norms around its consumption, as well as determine specific behaviors, experiences, or bodies seen in pornography. In some cases, family members like fathers or cousins served as initial sources of exposure to pornography, driven by a desire to promote heterosexual behaviors and discourage same-sex activities.^[1]
• Sexual and Gender Identity:^[6][11] LGBTQ youth often use pornography to explore and affirm their sexual or gender identities, gravitating towards content that resonates with them. It serves as a crucial tool for validating their sexual orientation, especially for those who feel marginalized in mainstream narratives.^[1] Pornography also acts as a means to gauge their readiness to engage in LGBTQ activities. Initially, they found and used internet pornography as their primary source of information about LGBTQ activities, considering pornography as a kind of "guide" for sexual experiences. Pornography was the only source on LGBTQ sexual activity. If these videos include educational content (e.g., contraception during sexual activity, sexual consent, mutual sexual pleasure), could it be particularly valuable. However, they express a willingness to seek out other sources if such information becomes more readily available online or is covered more extensively in schools or by parents. As LGBTQ youth become more informed about LGBTQ activities, their use of pornography aligns more with their peers.^[6][11] They also view pornography as a "safe space" for sexual exploration and expression, providing a sense of validation for sexual identities and feelings that may face stigma in mainstream culture, especially those of young women and young people with LGBTQ+ identities.^[1]

Problematic pornography use (PPU) or pornography addiction, was understood as a pattern of pornography viewing which causes significant distress to the individual personally, relationally, socially, educationally, or occupationally. The prevalence of PPU by adolescents, lies at under 5%. Frequent users of pornography are more likely to show symptoms of PPU. Higher levels of depressive symptomatology in adolescent boys, and sexual interest, predicted increase in compulsive use of pornographic material over time. Baseline levels and subsequent growth in pornography use subsequently predicted higher levels of PPU, independent of religiosity, negative emotions, and impulsivity. Higher frequency of pornography use is associated with higher probability of suffering from CSB. LGBTQ-Adolescents aren't more likely to develop PPU.^[3]

The repeated cross-sectional surveys did not find any consistent associations across years between poor mental health and ever having watched pornography or the frequency of watching pornography.^[12]

— Svedin et. al. (2023)

Svedin et. al. found that a moderate consumption of pornography is associated with good mental health in boys, while both extremes (too much or too few) were worse off.^[12] Watching deviant (non-mainstream) pornography was associated with worse mental health in boys, but girls were unaffected.^[12]

Adolescents generally view pornography neither as (socially) realistic nor a useful source of sexual information compared to real-life experiences. However, more frequent consumption of pornography can lead to a perception of it as being "less unrealistic."^[4] Some find it to be a reliable source of information if useful content is present.^[4] They exhibit "porn literacy," showing critical thinking skills which teens say can be put to better use the older you are and the more experience you have.^[1]

The differences between pornography and real sexual situations, according to the adolescents, were: Messages about sex, the body, pleasure, and "risky" sexual acts, the lack of emotion, exaggerated appearance and performance, long duration of sex, the speed of sex,^[13] sexual aggression,^[4] the roles of women and men in pornography,^[11] the inappropriate portrayals of marginalized identities,^[1] the loveless content,^[11] and the abstinence from condoms^[13][11] were described as unrealistic and misleading.^[11] Teens described the content as more show than real sex. This was also echoed by youth who have not seen pornography. Some youth were concerned that other consumers (but not themselves), might draw false lessons or unrealistic expectations^[1] (through the third-person effect) from pornography^[11] and might experience physical harm from replicating pornography.^[11]

The impact of pornography on adolescents versus adults is still unclear. Risky sexual behavior and certain gender stereotypes linked to pornography were observed in adults, but not in adolescents. Both groups showed a connection between pornography and permissive sexual attitudes.^[4] It is suggested that adolescents' brains might be more sensitive to explicit material, but due to a lack of research this question cannot be answered definitively.^[14]

Arab Adolescents grapple with complex emotions regarding pornography. Some experience guilt and shame, struggling to reconcile the emotional and physiological benefits of pornography with their criticisms of the ethics of pornography and the lack of social acceptance of pornography and sexuality in general.^[1] Support mechanisms for discussing negative experiences with pornography are lacking. Many parents avoid conversations about it, and adolescents fear punishment if caught so that adults are perceived as ambivalent or uncertain if they had any questions or curiosity about pornography. Some parents avoid conversations about pornography and sex.^[1] Peer discussions on the topic are also limited. Some adolescents who participated in studies were only able to discuss their concerns in the studies they participated in because they would not have had the opportunity to do so before. These studies acted as interventions.^[1]

Open communication and good relationships are seen as crucial in helping adolescents control their consumption. Better conversations about sex and pornography are believed to improve attitudes about sex, reduce stigma, and prevent abuse, reduce the motivation to consume pornography and to show trust and respect to young people. Some adolescents believe that they have the skills to avoid unwanted pornographic content and to mitigate conflicting feelings and potential consequences that may result from viewing pornography. Along with this, they described being able to avoid unwanted content and deal with their negative feelings. Without such discussions and other perspectives, adolescents feel that that leads to pressure to engage in certain sexual acts, lower self-esteem, mismatched expectations, and disappointment in a sexual experience or unnecessary physical pain, normalization of violence, harassment, coercion, and assault. Some women experienced coercion and harassment.^[1]

Adolescent sexual self-exploration covers a range of factors including sexual insecurity, depression through pornography,^[2] self-objectification and the internalization of beauty ideals, body monitoring,^[4] adolescent self-image and body image,^[15] preoccupation with sexual issues, sexual dissatisfaction, sexual self-development, sexual arousal, and sexual experiences.^[4] Research suggests a connection between pornography use and these aspects, but definitive correlations have not been established.^[4] The use of pornography by young people has shown associations with reduced anxiety related to early sexual experiences, higher sexual satisfaction in firm and loose relationships, and increased comfort in discussing sex. Some individuals find that viewing bodies in pornography, especially in amateur content, can boost self-esteem.^[1]

Adolescent pornography consumption predicted greater sexual engagement, greater sexual insecurity, and greater sexual dissatisfaction, and is linked to sexual intercourse (anal sex, oral sex, sexual encounters, sexual desire, earlier sexual initiation, sex with prostitutes/partners/friends),^[3] more experience with casual sex, and a higher likelihood of exercise or experiencing especially among female adolescents. However, there isn't any evidence connecting frequent pornography consumption to a wider range of sexual practices. Meaningful evidence linking pornography and sexual risk behaviors is lacking.^[16]

It's important to note that these findings are rough, incomplete approximations. On average, adolescents did not have frequent sexual intercourse. This means that porn use among adolescents is more likely to be related to a low frequency of these behaviors rather than their massive occurrence. The extent of sexual aggression and victimization varies. Pornography use is also associated with higher likelihood of talking online about sex with strangers, and fantasizing about trying to copy sexual acts seen in pornography,^[3] with some adolescents mimicking what they see.^[4] No definitive conclusions can be drawn regarding unprotected or paid sex,^[3] but teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases have been associated with pornography use.^[16]

A 2021 review which compiled evidence from other empirical sources such as surveys found that representations of women in pornography may lead adolescent boys to view women as sexual objects, with disregard and disrespect for gender equality.^[17] The review, however, does not claim anywhere proving a causal relationship of consuming pornography and changing views of sexual objectification or gender inequality.^[17]

Global legal definitions of pornography have evolved over time in different countries. In Austria, it is self-contained depictions of sexual acts, distorted in a graphic manner, and devoid of any external context of relationships in life.^[18] Similarly is in the United States a sexually explicit material judged to be obscene if, the average person, applying contemporary community standards, finds that the work as a whole appeals to prurient interest, the work depicts or describes sexual conduct in a patently offensive way; and the work taken as a whole lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value.^[19]

The ages when it is legal to watch pornography are different by region, for example in Indonesia it's completely forbidden to use pornography,^[20] in the EU minors are not allowed to access pornography,^[21] while in Austria's Pornography Act permits depictions that could stimulate lust or mislead sexual drive for those over 16 on a national level,^[22] but Austria's states forbid respectively material harmful to youth,^[23] pornography^[24] or depictions disregarding human dignity^[25] under 18. Switzerland generally permits pornography for those over 16.^[26]

Efforts to protect youth from the effects of pornography date to the 18th century.^[18] In the 20th century, laws were passed regulating materials which "endanger the moral welfare of youth" as far back as 1929. This culminated in the 1950 Pornography Act, where the focus shifted from mere depictions of nudity to profiting from it, and was broadened to include stimulation of any sexual feeling at all; the Act is still the basis of Austrian pornography legislation.^[18] Social changes in the 1970s resulted in refinements defining which depictions were considered as pornographic based on the standard of an "average person"'s reaction. Case law permitted certain materials to be sold in certain shops as long as the customer's age could be verified, and in 2000 a court permitted broadcasting after midnight as long as a warning message preceded the program.^[18]

Surveys are the main method for studying the effects of pornography on adolescents, due to legal and/or ethical constraints preventing experimental research.^[4] In these surveys, young individuals openly discuss their pornography use, for one study author, this indicated a "shift in the position (of pornography) as perverse, deviant, or shameful."^[1] The research is based on establishing correlations, which allows for making assumptions about causality but doesn't conclusively prove it (a correlation does not imply causality). This means that it is not possible to draw conclusions about whether the contexts are a consequence or a cause of viewing pornography.^[2] It could for example be, that consuming pornography causes certain beliefs or if it's the other way around, or if multiple factors contribute to a particular belief. There's also the possibility that the observed correlation is coincidental.^[2]

Most studies come from affluent countries like the Netherlands and Sweden, making it challenging to generalize the findings to more sexually conservative nations.^[4] Research on pornography often concentrates on potential negative effects, largely neglecting positive ones,^[2] this can be justified by theoretical considerations and by cultural concerns of the public.^[4] Public debates about adolescents' pornography use often oversimplify how it influences them, assuming that adolescents are uncritical consumers while adults are seen as more discerning.^[4] It's unclear which adolescents are most affected by these associations, and there's limited information about the impact on LGBTQ youth.^[4] Some behaviors linked to pornography, like casual sex, permissive attitudes, anal sex, or a larger number of partners, may have associated risks under certain circumstances, but they're not inherently harmful. Studies vary in their findings, making it uncertain whether research can definitively answer all questions about the impact of pornography on adolescents.^[2]

There are considerable ethical problems with performing some kinds of research on the effects of pornography use on minors.^[27] For example, Rory Reid (UCLA) declared, "Universities don't want their name on the front page of a newspaper for an unethical study exposing minors to porn."^[28][29]

The PhD thesis of Marleen J.E. Katayama-Klaassen (2020), at the University of Amsterdam, found a low correlation between pornography and significant effects on youth, and could not show causality.^[30] Miranda Horvath, researcher in a 2013 study regarding minors and pornography, also stated: "But it is not possible to establish causation from correlational studies, and to say whether pornography is changing or reinforcing attitudes."^[31][32]

Peter and Valkenburg's (2016) systematic review found the literature suggestive but not conclusive that the adolescent brain may be more sensitive to explicit material.^[4] Brown and Wisco's (2019) systematic review reached similar conclusions.^[14]

The majority of studies in this field are cross-sectional surveys of low quality.^[33]

— Marks, Murray, and Estacio (2018)

An umbrella review stated on this aspect of the types of pornography teens use: "More research is needed on the types of pornography teens use, rather than relying on speculation and opinion. It should be assumed that adolescents are not passive "fools" or "victims" but are critical of social norms (such as the social expectation to disapprove of pornography) and depictions in pornography that are misogynistic, showing fetishization of lesbians, transgender people, and non-binary people which is only made for cisgender heterosexual men's pleasure which perpetuates male dominance and the oppression of women, is racist, homophobic, transphobic, or violent, non-consensual, lack love or intimacy, follow beauty ideals, show little neglected groups, and show superficial depictions that only refer to sexual acts and genitals."^[2][1]

• Jochen Peter & Patti M. Valkenburg (2016) Adolescents and Pornography: A Review of 20 Years of Research In: The Journal of Sex Research, 53:4-5, 509–531, March doi:10.1080/00224499.2016.1143441 (free full text) (PDF)
• Amy J. Peterson, Gillian K. Silver, Heather A. Bell, Stephanie A. Guinosso & Karin K. Coyle (2023) Young People's Views on Pornography and Their Sexual Development, Attitudes, and Behaviors: A Systematic Review and Synthesis of Qualitative Research, American Journal of Sexuality Education, 18:2, 171–209, doi:10.1080/15546128.2022.2096163
• Bőthe, B., Vaillancourt-Morel, MP., Bergeron, S. et al. Problematic and Non-Problematic Pornography Use Among LGBTQ Adolescents: a Systematic Literature Review. In: Curr Addict Rep 6, 478–494 (2019). doi:10.1007/s40429-019-00289-5 (PDF)

• Berger, Alan S.; Simon, William; Gagnon, John H. (1973-12-01). "Youth and pornography in social context". Archives of Sexual Behavior. 2 (4): 279–308. doi:10.1007/BF01541003. ISSN 1573-2800. PMID 4142746. S2CID 35502580.