Decades of studies from respected academic institutions, have demonstrated significant impacts of porn consumption for individuals, relationships, and society. "What’s the Research" aims to shed light on the expanding field of academic resources that showcase porn’s harms in a variety of ways. Below are selected excerpts from published studies on this issue.
The full study can be accessed here.
Pornography Consumption and Sexual Choking: An Evaluation of Theoretical Mechanisms
Authors: Paul J. Wright, Debby Herbenick, Robert S. Tokunaga
Published: October 2021
Peer-Reviewed Journal: Health Communication
Abstract
Many researchers interested in the socializing effects of pornography have found heuristic utility in the sexual script acquisition, activation, application model (3AM) of mediated sexual socialization. Studies have emphasized overall pornography/sexual behavior associations, however, rather than mediating sexual beliefs that a 3AM perspective suggests should underlie such associations.
The present study used data from a campus-representative probability sample to examine whether linkages between pornography use and heterosexual-identified collegiate men’s choking of sexual partners is mediated by the belief that sexual choking is pleasurable, the belief that sexual choking is safe, and the disbelief that sexual choking requires consent from the person being choked. Sexual choking has been increasingly identified as a focal point of contemporary mixed-sex pornography as well as young men’s sexual behavior; it can also result in adverse health and legal consequences.
Results were consistent with a sequential model positing that consuming pornography more frequently leads to more exposure to pornographic depictions of sexual choking, which in turn predicts a higher likelihood of choking sexual partners through the belief that sexual choking is pleasurable, the belief that sexual choking is safe, and the disbelief that sexual choking requires consent from the person being choked.
Methods
The data for the present study are from the undergraduate student component of the 2021 Campus Sexual Health Survey (CSHS), a confidential online probability survey conducted at a large public U.S. university… Participants in the present analysis were 780 heterosexual-identified, sexually experienced, undergraduate men.
Results
Consistent with the scripting premise that pornographic actors’ eroticized and idealized experiences with actresses in pornography lead men to expect similar rewards if they engage in the same behaviors, the association between exposure to pornographic depictions of sexual choking and choking partners during sex was mediated by the belief that sexual choking is pleasurable.
Consistent with the scripting premise that pornography’s lack of depiction of harms to actresses from actors’ sexually aggressive behaviors leads men to believe that these behaviors are harmless, the association between exposure to pornographic depictions of sexual choking and choking partners during sex was mediated by the belief that sexual choking is safe.
Finally, consistent with the scripting premise that pornography’s omission of affirmative consent depictions coupled with its portrayal of women as sex objects leads men to minimize the need for consent, the association between exposure to pornographic depictions of sexual choking and choking partners during sex was mediated by the disbelief that sexual choking requires consent.
The full study can be accessed here.
Your Support Matters Now More Than Ever
Most kids today are exposed to porn by the age of 12. By the time they’re teenagers, 75% of boys and 70% of girls have already viewed itRobb, M.B., & Mann, S. (2023). Teens and pornography. San Francisco, CA: Common Sense.Copy —often before they’ve had a single healthy conversation about it.
Even more concerning: over half of boys and nearly 40% of girls believe porn is a realistic depiction of sexMartellozzo, E., Monaghan, A., Adler, J. R., Davidson, J., Leyva, R., & Horvath, M. A. H. (2016). “I wasn’t sure it was normal to watch it”: A quantitative and qualitative examination of the impact of online pornography on the values, attitudes, beliefs and behaviours of children and young people. Middlesex University, NSPCC, & Office of the Children’s Commissioner.Copy . And among teens who have seen porn, more than 79% of teens use it to learn how to have sexRobb, M.B., & Mann, S. (2023). Teens and pornography. San Francisco, CA: Common Sense.Copy . That means millions of young people are getting sex ed from violent, degrading content, which becomes their baseline understanding of intimacy. Out of the most popular porn, 33%-88% of videos contain physical aggression and nonconsensual violence-related themesFritz, N., Malic, V., Paul, B., & Zhou, Y. (2020). A descriptive analysis of the types, targets, and relative frequency of aggression in mainstream pornography. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 49(8), 3041-3053. doi:10.1007/s10508-020-01773-0Copy Bridges et al., 2010, “Aggression and Sexual Behavior in Best-Selling Pornography Videos: A Content Analysis,” Violence Against Women.Copy .
From increasing rates of loneliness, depression, and self-doubt, to distorted views of sex, reduced relationship satisfaction, and riskier sexual behavior among teens, porn is impacting individuals, relationships, and society worldwideFight the New Drug. (2024, May). Get the Facts (Series of web articles). Fight the New Drug.Copy .
This is why Fight the New Drug exists—but we can’t do it without you.
Your donation directly fuels the creation of new educational resources, including our awareness-raising videos, podcasts, research-driven articles, engaging school presentations, and digital tools that reach youth where they are: online and in school. It equips individuals, parents, educators, and youth with trustworthy resources to start the conversation.
Will you join us? We’re grateful for whatever you can give—but a recurring donation makes the biggest difference. Every dollar directly supports our vital work, and every individual we reach decreases sexual exploitation. Let’s fight for real love: