Pornography Use Among Youth

Pornography Use Among Youth... What Can We Do?

The time of youth and adolescence is a unique one- it’s a time when kids and teenagers are naturally curious about their developing bodies, puberty, and sex. In a generation where the internet is readily accessible to most youth, their natural curiosity and access to the world wide web may lead them to pornography. Although pornography is restricted to those who are 18+, this restriction is never truly enforced, as pornography is easily accessible to most people. 

Porn portrays unrealistic ideals regarding our bodies and sexual activity. It is incredibly easy, at this vulnerable age, to compare yourself to what is typically shown in pornography. Surgically enhanced bodies, video editing to make everything look flawless- we see this and think our body and experiences will match up, when they won’t. Our bodies are not perfect, and that’s something that needs to be understood at a young age.

Although the exact association remains unclear, research shows that poor mental well-being, impulsivity, and poor family functioning have been associated with pornography use among adolescents (Kohut & Štulhofer, 2018). Furthermore, pornography use may contribute to insecurities regarding body image, appearance, and sexual performance. Cross-sectional studies have illustrated the relationship between pornography use among adolescents and lower life satisfaction, lower self esteem, and depressive symptoms. There is so much subconscious comparison that occurs when watching porn, and it can be detrimental to the wellbeing of our youth.

What’s the solution, you might wonder? Implement more thorough, inclusive sex education in middle/high schools. Many schools across the nation are not required to include sex education in their curriculum. This becomes a problem when unrealistic ideals revolving body image and sex exist, and our youth are never formally taught otherwise. 

Furthermore, sex education in schools is not inclusive and does not always cover everything that it should. For example, in Rhode Island, the state’s curriculum encourages abstinence as the preferred method of pregnancy and disease/infection prevention (NCSL, 2020). While this logically makes sense, it is unreasonable to promote abstinence and not include other topics to be more comprehensive and inclusive. Typically, sex education in schools focus on heteronormative relationships, leaving out countless individuals that identify as LGBTQ+. An inclusive, comprehensive sex education course would include lessons on gender identity and sexual orientation, positive examples of LGBTQ individuals and relationships, promote the use of protection among all individuals, and eliminate stereotypes regarding behavior and identity (HRC, 2015). 

The lack of proper sex education in schools shows the need for parents to step in. At home, there are ways to talk to your children about sexual health in an inclusive, shame-free way. Advocates for Youth, AMAZE, and Melissa Carnagey have joined forces to create a digital toolkit featuring discussion guides, key messages, and videos to start or continue the conversation in your family about porn and sexuality. The toolkit helps you teach your children to stay safe and informed while online. The comprehensive toolkit is available at amaze.org/parents/guides/porn.

References

Kohut, T., & Štulhofer, A. (2018, August 10). Is pornography use a risk for adolescent well-being? An examination of temporal relationships in two independent panel samples. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6088458/

National Conference of State Legislatures. (2020, April 01). State Policies on Sex Education in Schools. Retrieved from https://www.ncsl.org/research/health/state-policies-on-sex-education-in-schools.aspx

Human Rights Campaign. (2015). LGBTQ Youth Need Inclusive Sex Education. Retrieved from https://www.hrc.org/resources/a-call-to-action-lgbtq-youth-need-inclusive-sex-education