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Online pornography appeared when the indecent photos in the 1990s were followed by salacious videos of the 2000s and lewd live streams in the 2010s. The access to pornography was facilitated by decreasing the size of gadgets used for its viewing. Not only has it become easier to access, but it has also become more diversified and perverse, as sexual fetishism has grown to become a new sort of societal norm. Maggie Jones (2018, para. 22) describes how decisive pornography can be in shaping an adolescents vision of intimate relationships, and some of them even use porn as a how-to guide . As she found out from the words of a suburban boy, theres nowhere else to learn about sex (Jones, 2018, para. 22). Abstinence-based sex education spurs more problems than one could think of at first glance: frequent change of partners, indifference to the wishes of ones partner, and gender-based violence. This essay will explore the impact of pornography in shaping adolescents image of sex and intimate relationships in general, arguing that sexual education could alleviate its harmful effect.
It would be too simple to consider pornography as an indubitable evil, like alcohol and drugs. It seems to be addictive, although, throughout the history of medical and psychological research, the experts did not reach a common understanding of the issue (Ley, 2014). That is why it is sooner a moral or social problem, consisting of the lack of self-control, rather than a real addiction. Both masturbation and watching pornography can be compulsive, i.e., it is caused by stress, and people do it in order to relieve the tension. Still, adolescents should be told about less harmful ways of stress reduction.
Unfortunately, there is a relationship between watching pornographic content and abusive or violent behavior in young men. As Stanley et al. (2016, p. 2922) put it, pornography damages the psychology and behavior of young people because its content is sexist and hostile towards women . Another research conducted in Sweden and Norway for young women above 18 has shown that such content makes women more aggressive, too. They were more likely to work in the sex industry or use its services and have friends for whom it was a norm to watch violent sex videos (Stanley et al., 2016). These results suggest that pornography is not a pill of violence for men; it has an equally damaging effect on any genders psychology.
However, a legislative ban on the production and dissemination of pornographic content would not resolve the issue. Any restriction imposed on such products as alcohol, tobacco, and probably porn will spur the development of an uncontrolled illegal market. In many countries, it is forbidden, but the conditions in which actors work are even worse there. Altman and Watson (2018, p. 291) argue that it is incorrect to compare the harm of alcohol and pornography because the harms of the latter are directed at persons on the basis of their group membership, i.e., at women. In any case, a ban on production does not presuppose a ban on viewing, which is the real issue to be addressed. Any attempts to control or restrict the exposure to pornography of children and young people are likely to be ineffective or almost ineffective. The omnipresent normalization of such content and the ease of access provided by the new technologies will make such regulatory actions pointless. A better solution could be provided by a comprehensive education focusing on the lack of congruence with lived experience and the gendered attitudes that inform its scripts (Stanley et al., 2016, p. 2944). This statement is even more valid in view of the fact that the visible realism of pornographic videos changes its effect on interpersonal behavior.
The situation with pornography qualitative and quantitative research is further aggravated by its methodological complexity. It is impossible to provide exact numbers of the volume of pornography viewed by every age group because the internet is constantly evolving and changing. Moreover, Fisher and Kohut (2019) distinguish between the scientifically justified effects of pornography found in random controlled trials and observational effects or rather correlates. Conducting experiments with watching improper videos among adolescents is hardly possible. Therefore, social questioning is presently the only way to find out the real situation.
There is a less obvious, but not the least detrimental effect of pornography as the decrease of willing to make sex with a real partner. In recent years, as the birth rate in Japan has been steadily falling, giving rise to sexless panics, such scholars have specifically targeted pornography for corrupting youth attitudes towards any form of sexual contact (Miles, 2020, p. 3). The ubiquity of sex industry content and the lack of unbiased information about it provoke a public opinion that sex is something dirty and shocking. It does not make people abstain from watching porn; it makes them do it in concealment.
A habit of watching pornography usually preserves in adulthood. In some couples, it can be observed as infidelity, provoking jealousy. There is no evidence that watching such videos with a partner can improve relationships. However, Fisher and Kohut describe research conducted on two groups of people, one whereof were watching pornography without their partner, and the other group practiced joint use of such content. The findings showed that the relationships between romantic partners in the latter group were considerably better than in the first one (2019). One can assume that any joint activity could provide a uniting effect. Still, the type of videos one selects can reveal the sexual preferences in the pair. As Jones (2018, para. 15) remarked, porn can provide affirmation that they are not alone in their sexual desires, smoothing the awkwardness. Such experiences provoke ingenuous conversations and exploration of the partners desires, and in this aspect, it can be viewed as a positive phenomenon.
Having considered everything mentioned above, one shall conclude that the pornography-caused problems have acquired the present extent due to the lack of sexual education. It is impossible to prevent adolescents from watching such videos or make the entire industry illegal. Still, it is possible to provide the growing generation with sufficient unbiased information. All the issues discussed in this essay suggest that pornography is not as bad in itself. The lack of sexual education is making it so harmful because adolescents watch the videos without constructive criticism and understanding of its staged nature. A recurrent visit of a local sexologist to each school for giving interactive lectures could considerably improve the situation. In such a way, they will make their own substantiated choice whether to watch pornographic content or not or at least whether it is true to life or staged.
Reference List
Altman, A. and Watson, L. (2018) Debating pornography. New York: Oxford University Press.
Jones, M. (2018) What teenagers are learning from online porn, The New York Times: Magazine, Web.
Ley, D. J. (2014) The Myth of Sex Addiction. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Miles, E. (2020). Porn as practice, porn as access: pornography consumption and a third sexual orientation in Japan. Porn Studies, pp. 110.
Fisher, W. A. and Kohut, T. (2019). Reading pornography: Methodological considerations in evaluating pornography research, The Journal of Sexual Medicine, pp. 115.
Stanley, N. et al. (2016). Pornography, sexual coercion and abuse and sexting in young peoples intimate relationships: A European study, Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 33(19), pp. 29192944.
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